HC Jonathan Gannon on injury info: 'There's not a lot of good answers all the time'
HC Jonathan Gannon on injury info: 'There's not a lot of good answers all the time' Gannon speaks about the non-linear nature of recovery time from injuries
With voluntary OTAs beginning last week and ending this week prior to next week's mandatory minicamp, there are several players in varying degrees of participation that ended the 2024 season on injured reserve.
The group includes edge rusher BJ Ojulari, who suffered a torn ACL early in training camp last summer; right tackle Jonah Williams, whose season was limited to six games because of two injuries to his right knee; and defensive linemen Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols.
Jones played only three games because of a triceps injury, while a neck injury limited Nichols to playing six games.
Prior to the Cardinals' first practice on May 28, head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked specifically about Ojulari and Williams. He said, 'I think everyone's kind of in their own category, truthfully. So I'll just put it out there. We'll talk about injuries Week 1, but I'm not going to get into everybody case by case, but everyone is working hard.
'If they're not fully ready to go, they're doing a good job in there to try to get themselves ready to go. So he (Ojulari) falls in that bucket.'
Ojulari, Williams and Nichols were not on the field that day. This week, Williams was at practice Tuesday, while Nichols and Jones were not, as well as Ojulari.
It is important to note that only one of three OTAs each week are open to the media, so it is not known who was on the field or who wasn't the other days.
Rookie defensive lineman Walter Nolen wasn't on the field May 28, and prior to Wednesday's work, Gannon was asked if that absence was because of injury or the fact Nolen is still unsigned. Gannon said 'Neither,' and Nolen did participate that day, while also being present after the first OTA last week.
When Gannon was then asked if they are moving slower with Williams because it was two injuries he suffered last season, the coach discussed what can be difficult about supplying injury information. He said, 'With all our guys, we go at the appropriate pace. Truthfully, like there's not a lot of good answers all the time for you guys from me. 'He's doing great.' What does that mean? He was doing great two days ago but then yesterday didn't have a setback -- I don't want to use that word -- but it's not linear, it doesn't just go great in a rehab. If you remember the first time we got here, the hot topic was Kyler (Murray) coming back from a knee. I've been around guys that have knees. Here's the timetable, here's what he has to do for his position, all that. It's not a linear progression of 'I'm just doing great and I'm on the timeline the doc says and the training room says and this is when I can go out and play football.' It doesn't work like that.
"I trust our process on how we do things. You'll see Jonah out there today, but that's just the step we're taking for return to play. Everybody is different. What you guys see on the practice field --'Oh maybe he's getting closer' -- and he might not even be closer than a guy you don't even see out there. That's truthful."
Most important, Gannon said, is that players are anxious to be back on the field as soon as possible.
"So they are doing everything they can to get out there and be healthy and be with their teammates and play football," Gannon said. "I never question that. And they know from our standpoint we're not going to put them out there until they are ready to go 100 percent physically."
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Warriors' Brandin Podziemski doesn't want a Giannis Antetokoumpo trade
The post Why Warriors' Brandin Podziemski doesn't want a Giannis Antetokoumpo trade appeared first on ClutchPoints. In today's NBA, stars change teams at every trade deadline and free-agency period. As of June 3rd, the longest-tenured All-Stars in the league are Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with the Golden State Warriors. Giannis Antetokounmpo is close behind, having spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. Advertisement However, Milwaukee could trade their star soon. According to Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, he does not want to see the MVP finalist to demand a trade this summer. After an ACL injury to Damian Lillard and another first-round playoff exit, experts expect Antetokounmpo to request a trade this summer. Teams around the league will line up to offer packages for the nine-time All-NBA selection. However, Podziemski offered his thoughts on the situation. According to him, he much prefers players to stay with their original team for their entire career. Podziemski grew up in Wisconsin and was a big Bucks fan as a kid. He spoke to Kay Adams on Tuesday's episode of Up and Adams about the rumors swirling around the superstar. To him, Antetokounmpo playing in another city just doesn't feel right. 'It's like Steph[en Curry] not playing for the Warriors,' Podziemski said about the Greek Freak changing teams. 'All guys who've cemented their legacy and what they're about in this league on one team, you never expect it to change. Advertisement 'It's the same as Luka [Doncic] in Dallas. The whole world is shocked because of the player that he is, and you could see that they were building around him. It's like any star in the league that stays with one team. You expect them to be in one jersey, and anywhere else just doesn't seem right at all.' Even though he is with the Warriors, Podziemski still has an affinity for his hometown. For him, his goal is to win a championship in Milwaukee for Golden State against the Bucks. 'It'd be pretty cool to win a championship in Milwaukee against them; that would be something cool,' Podziemski said. 'But I love Golden State. I love everything that they've invested in me despite having Hall of Famers all the time around me. It's pretty cool to be wanted as a young player.' Podziemski and Antetokounmpo are at different points in their careers. However, if the young Warriors guard has his way, they will stay where they are and finish their careers with one team. Still, Milwaukee's superstar fits what the Warriors are looking for. Therefore, there is a world in which they are in the same deal.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Cardinals takeaways: 3 trends to watch after a series loss to Royals
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals knew June would be a tough test, and their latest series against the Kansas City Royals provided early proof. After inclement weather rained out Wednesday's game, the Cardinals played their fifth doubleheader of the season Thursday at Busch Stadium. They rallied twice to win Game 1, 6-5, in ten innings, but fell short of another comeback in Game 2 and lost 7-5, splitting the twin bill and losing the series. Advertisement 'We came up short, but offensively, early, I liked what we saw,' manager Oli Marmol said. 'I like where our guys are mentally. They're mentally tough.' They will certainly need to be, given their current stretch. The club has just one scheduled off day until July 3 and will welcome the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers to Busch Stadium for a three-game set over the weekend. How the team plays overall in June could have heavy ramifications on the organization's trade deadline plans come July. Here are some trends to monitor during the early portion of the month as the Cardinals aim to keep afloat. The Cardinals seem to have avoided anything serious with Matthew Liberatore, who was pulled from the nightcap in the top of the fifth due to fatigue after his fastball velocity dropped to 89 miles per hour. Liberatore did not need imaging done and said he felt his issues were related to mechanics. 'Just out of sync,' Liberatore said. 'Was working around everything, different body parts going in different directions and not towards the plate. I actually felt pretty good in the first inning. Felt like the stuff was lively, pretty synched up, and then I got out of sync, and I just failed to make the adjustment. 'I wasn't concerned about pain or fatigue or anything,' he added. 'I was trying to figure out how to make the adjustment and ran out of time.' After allowing eight earned runs across six prior starts, Liberatore was tagged for five-plus runs for the second time in as many games. The Cardinals are not worried about Liberatore's effectiveness — he posted a team-best 2.73 ERA over the first two months of the season — and they don't expect him to miss his next start, whenever that may be. St. Louis is still working through its pitching plans for the next week. With just one scheduled off day remaining in June, the Cardinals will use a spot starter within the next few days. Though not official, Michael McGreevy is the obvious candidate. He last pitched Tuesday for Triple-A Memphis and would be on track to start Sunday against the Dodgers if the Cardinals stick to his current schedule. Advertisement Liberatore underwent light testing with the training staff after exiting the game and did not feel pain or a sense of injury. The emphasis over the next week will be on his mechanics and getting his delivery back into sync. 'The mechanical focus is probably going to be the primary thing moving into this next outing,' Liberatore said. 'I'm not concerned about it. I don't think anybody else is overly concerned about it. It's just a matter of finding it again and being able to stay consistent with it.' The middle of the lineup for the Cardinals looks considerably different than how the team initially planned at the start of the season. After Nolan Arenado was dropped to the six-hole in mid-May, Willson Contreras took over as the team's everyday clean-up hitter, with Iván Herrera firmly behind him in the No. 5 spot. That can be a potent heart of the order — if they can stay consistent. Thursday showed prime examples. After Noah Cameron held St. Louis to two hits over six scoreless innings in Game 1, the Cardinals' offense clawed back in the late innings. Herrera's booming go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth ignited the dugout, but after Ryan Helsley blew a save opportunity in the ninth, St. Louis needed more heroics. Cue Contreras, who smoked a walk-off single in the 10th inning to end his 1,000th career game in style. 'We are looking just for one pitch, the best pitch,' Contreras said. 'We're not trying to hit homers, but we are trying to put good quality contact and good quality at-bats, and whatever happens after that happens. We're trying to get the ball in the air more than anything else and then keep a simple approach and put the barrel on the ball.' THAT'S A WALK-OFF WINNER!! — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 5, 2025 Contreras carried that momentum into Game 2, where he racked up two more hits and three RBI, and Arenado capped off a four-run third inning with a booming two-run homer of his own. That was a crucial swing for Arenado, who entered play hitting .156/.204/.333 since he was moved down in the lineup. However, it was his third home run in a 14-game span, and Arenado does feel like his swing is trending in the right direction, even if the box score results aren't backing that up. Advertisement St. Louis will rely on its right-handed power bats for continued production, especially as it awaits word on Jordan Walker's status. Walker was placed on the injured list with left-wrist inflammation last weekend, and while the initial hope was that he would miss the minimum amount of time, he had not progressed the way the team hoped. He received an injection on Wednesday and will not swing a bat for a few days, meaning the likelihood of the team activating him when he is eligible on Sunday is slim. 'Our hope is that (the injection) speeds up the progression of swings, he feels good, and we can ramp up,' Marmol said. 'We'll know more here in a day or two.' The Cardinals will work in more playing time for Gorman over the next couple of weeks. He did not start in either game of Thursday's doubleheader (due to Kansas City starting two left-handers), but he did start in Tuesday's series opener — and promptly homered in his first at-bat. GAME-TYING GORM 💣 — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 4, 2025 When he does work his way back into the starting lineup more regularly, Gorman feels he's in a much more comfortable place, physically and mentally. He's been working on controlling his front stride and landing position to make sure he isn't moving as far forward as before. Gorman said he felt he unlocked something during the Cardinals' series at Kansas City in mid-May, and has been encouraged by work he's done behind the scenes. If there's a silver lining to not seeing much playing time the last month, it's allowed him to hone in on making substantial changes without the pressure of game success. 'At this point with how the at-bats have come, I just have to go out there and trust what I'm doing and if something doesn't go right in the game, I don't need to tinker with it the next day,' Gorman said. 'I don't need to do that. I know I'm in a good spot right now, and I'm just going to ride it out. 'I've looked at it in a little different light,' he added. 'Not a negative thing, but a positive in that one, the team is doing well, and two, I have all this opportunity to work on my swing that I want. When my name's called, I have the confidence to go out there and do what I've been working on. Do I want to be out there every day? Do I think I can be out there every day? Do I think I can be a really good big leaguer? Absolutely, I've shown it. But the situation is what it is right now, and I'm going to do whatever I can when my name is called.' (Top photo of Nolan Arenado: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore leaves start against Royals with fatigue issues
ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore left the Cardinals' game Thursday night against Kansas City because of fatigue. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the concern factor was not high. 'He said he felt good, just out of sync with his mechanics,' Marmol said. 'Wish we had a better answer, but it just wasn't coming out. But no injury, no pain, said he actually felt really good going into that game, and just wasn't synced up. So ran some tests on him during that game, once he came out, and everything came back looking pretty good.' Liberatore left with no outs in the fifth inning after throwing 71 pitches. His final pitch was a 73.8-mph, ball-four curveball to Maikel Garcia, who eventually scored on a single by Salvador Perez to cap the scoring in Kansas City's 7-5 victory in the second game of a day-night doubleheader. 'I wasn't concerned about pain or fatigue or anything,' Liberatore said. 'I was going to keep pitching until they ripped the ball out of my hands, which is, unfortunately, what ended up happening. But just kept trying to figure out how to make the adjustment and ran out of time.' Liberatore's fastball dipped from 96 mph at the start of the game to 89 in his final inning. 'Once he threw the one at 89, I mean, at that point we saw some cutters at 88 and the four seamer at 90-91, and then one dipped down 89, so I didn't want him over compensating,' Marmol said. Liberatore, the St. Louis starter in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader, struggled in his second straight start. The 25-year-old left-hander allowed a season-high seven runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. Liberatore said he went through several tests after leaving the game, but had no imaging on his shoulder or arm. 'Everything probably has a hand in it,' Liberatore said. 'I think when you get out of sync, it's not as easy to maintain velocity, and you get fatigued quicker. I don't know if it was a fatigue and then out of sync issue first. I think that it was more of a mechanical out of sync that led to some fatigue.' In his last outing, Liberatore allowed five runs, four earned, in five innings in an 11-1 loss to the Rangers. Liberatore earned a starting role with the Cardinals out of spring training after spending the majority of last season working out of the bullpen. He has worked at least six innings in eight of his 12 starts and entered Thursday with a 2.42 ERA since April 13, which ranks seventh among National League starters. ___ AP MLB:
