Cardinals' minor league pitcher Fitts undergoes season-ending surgery

Fitts suffered a right lat injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 10:48pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A cubist-style painting depicting a baseball pitcher's throwing motion broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in navy, green, and orange tones, conveying the disruption caused by the player's season-ending injury.The Cardinals' pitching pipeline suffers a setback as a promising minor league arm undergoes season-ending surgery.Houston Today

St. Louis Cardinals minor league pitcher Richard Fitts underwent season-ending surgery this week to repair an injury to his right lat that landed him on the injured list earlier in the season. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said the long-term prognosis for Fitts' recovery is good, but he will not pitch again in 2026.

Why it matters

Fitts was off to a strong start in Triple-A this season, going 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA in three starts, and the Cardinals were hoping he could contribute to the major league club at some point this year. His injury is a setback for the organization's pitching depth.

The details

Fitts, who joined the Cardinals this offseason as part of the Sonny Gray trade, underwent surgery to repair the right lat injury that placed him on the injured list earlier this week. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team was impressed with Fitts' performance in spring training and were counting on him to provide innings and help the major league club this season.

  • Fitts underwent season-ending surgery this week.
  • Fitts was 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Memphis this season.

The players

Richard Fitts

A minor league pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals organization who underwent season-ending surgery to repair a right lat injury.

Chaim Bloom

The president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Oliver Marmol

The manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Long term prognosis should be good. We're confident he's going to bounce back and be just fine but, he's not going to pitch again this season.”

— Chaim Bloom, President of Baseball Operations, St. Louis Cardinals

“He did really well, and it's someone that we definitely were going to count on providing some innings and helping when the time presented itself this year. Really unfortunate because it's someone that we definitely would have liked to see and just a really good competitor.”

— Oliver Marmol, Manager, St. Louis Cardinals

The takeaway

Fitts' season-ending injury is a setback for the Cardinals' pitching depth, as the team was hoping he could contribute to the major league club this season after a strong start in Triple-A. However, the organization is confident Fitts will recover and bounce back in the future.