Cardinals pitcher attempting MLB comeback sustains crushing arm injury just 3 pitches into his outing

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Packy Naughton cannot catch a break.

Naughton, 29, was pitching in the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate on Wednesday attempting an MLB comeback when he appeared to sustain another arm injury just three pitches into his latest outing.

Naughton fired a 1-1 pitch well wide of the strike zone and immediately grabbed his left elbow. He took a couple of paces toward home plate before bending over in pain. He eventually walked off with a trainer while holding his left arm.

“That’s never a good sign,” Charlotte Knights announcer Matt Swierad said during the broadcast. “Hopefully nothing too serious there, just something he was trying to be cautious about.”

Naughton’s unfortunate run of arm injuries began in 2023 when he tore his flexor tendon after four scoreless appearances, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. In 2024, while rehabbing, Naughton re-tore the flexor tendon in addition to tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow.

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He underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his UCL and missed both the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Despite the injuries, Naughton signed a two-year minor league deal at the end of the 2024 season. The Cardinals knew he would be rehabbing throughout 2025 and hoped he would be a part of the team’s bullpen in 2026.

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Naughton seemed like he was on his way to being a member of the bullpen in this year’s spring training, recording a 1.29 ERA over seven appearances.

Across three seasons, one with the Los Angeles Angels and two with the Cardinals, Naughton has appeared in 37 games, going 0-6 with a 4.98 ERA and one save in 59.2 innings pitched.

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