Cardinals Lose Blaze Jordan to Ankle Sprain as Injury Ward Crowds

The St. Louis Cardinals are officially running out of healthy infielders, and Blaze Jordan is the latest casualty of a brutal August stretch.

St. Louis placed the 23-year-old third baseman on the 10-day injured list this weekend with a left ankle sprain.

"MLB Trade Rumors relayed the official transaction placing Jordan on the 10-day IL."

Jordan was spotted in a walking boot after reportedly being unable to put weight on the ankle. In the modern sports world, a walking boot is the universal medical symbol for telling fans to stop asking about a return timeline.

Before the injury, Jordan was hitting .247 with three home runs and 28 RBIs across 58 games in his rookie campaign. Those are not exactly franchise-altering numbers, but his .658 OPS provided a necessary pulse for a St. Louis lineup that just got outscored 21-8 in back-to-back blowout losses to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this week.

The timing is terrible for a roster already held together by athletic tape. The Cardinals are currently missing shortstop Masyn Winn to a thumb fracture and starting pitcher Andre Pallante to elbow inflammation.

If you are looking at the betting lines for St. Louis right now, you are essentially wagering on the Memphis Redbirds' travel roster. The front office recalled utility man Thomas Saggese from Triple-A just to make sure they have enough guys to field a ground ball.

The Cardinals continue their weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates trying to salvage some late-summer dignity. Jordan is expected to miss several weeks, meaning his rookie season might be completely on ice until the leaves start changing.