Cardinals Place Kwang Hyun Kim on IL

CARDINALS PLACE KWANG HYUN KIM ON 10-DAY I.L.; DANIEL PONCE de LEON ACTIVATED FROM INJURED LIST

ST. LOUIS, MO., August 9, 2021 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon that they have placed left-handed pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim (left elbow inflammation) on the 10-day Injured List, retroactive to August 8, and activated right-handed pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon (right shoulder) from the 10-day Injured List.

Kim, who is second on the team in games started (19) and innings pitched (91.0), has posted a 6-6 mark and 3.36 ERA in his second season in the majors.

Ponce de Leon, who last pitched for the Cardinals on June 22, made four injury rehab outings between Memphis (AAA) and Springfield (AA). He worked 1.2 innings in relief on August 3 for Springfield in his most recent outing.

Ponce de Leon has made 17 appearances for the Cardinals in 2021, including two starts in April. He has compiled a 1-1 mark and two saves in 24.1 innings of work.

Kim missed time on the Injured List twice previously this season with back related ailments. He is among seven Cardinals starting pitchers to have spent time on the Injured List this season, joining Dakota Hudson, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright and Ponce de Leon.

— STL —

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My Take: Losing Kim is a pretty big hit to the rotation, again. He’s been reliable for 5 good innings just about every outing. At least Mikolas and Flaherty will be back soon.

Relying on Ponce to be a starter might be scary for a team right now, that is clawing away to stay at .500, let alone being in a playoff race. He’s OK out of the bullpen and can hopefully start to help stabilize it.