The St. Louis Cardinals have given Ramón Urías a cautiously encouraging update, but he is not yet ready to return to the major-league roster. The key requirement is that he must first complete nine-inning rehab games on consecutive days before the Cardinals reassess him.
The current situation
Urías has been dealing with elbow lateral epicondylitis (“tennis elbow”) in both elbows during his lengthy recovery. He was originally placed on the 10-day injured list on May 5 because of a right-elbow problem and was subsequently transferred to the 60-day IL on June 12. MLB’s current injury report still lists his return date as TBD.
His recovery has been unusually complicated:
He initially suffered the right-elbow injury that put him on the IL.
During an earlier rehab assignment, he developed pain in his left elbow while swinging, forcing the Cardinals to stop that assignment and send him back to St. Louis for evaluation.
He eventually resumed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis.
On July 26, he was hit on the left elbow by a pitch during a rehab game and had to leave the game, creating another interruption.
Sports Illustrated
By early August, the Cardinals had restarted his rehab assignment.
As of August 20, manager Oliver Marmol said Urías was on the right track, but there was still no definite return date.
What the Cardinals want to see now
This is the most important part of the new update.
The Cardinals don’t simply want Urías to play a few innings and declare him healthy. They want him to demonstrate that his elbows can withstand the demands of a normal baseball workload.
According to MLB’s injury report, the club wants him to play nine-inning rehab games on back-to-back days and then will evaluate whether he is ready to return to St. Louis.
In practical terms, that means:
Complete consecutive full games → tolerate the workload → Cardinals medical/staff evaluation → potential activation.
So the latest news is positive, but it is not an announcement that Urías is returning immediately.
His performance this season
Urías has also struggled offensively in his limited time with St. Louis.
Before his injury, he appeared in 25 games, going:
9-for-57
.158 batting average
2 home runs
5 RBIs
9 runs scored
Those numbers are considerably below his 2025 production, when he hit .248 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs, according to ClutchPoints.
His offensive struggles make his defensive versatility particularly important. Urías can play all four infield positions, giving St. Louis a useful right-handed utility option if he gets healthy.
Sports Illustrated
How his rehab has gone recently
There is some encouraging evidence that he is getting closer.
A recent update reported that Urías was 6-for-31 with two home runs and a 13-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 rehab games with Memphis after restarting his assignment.
The numbers aren’t spectacular, but the bigger issue right now is health and workload, rather than whether he is dominating Triple-A pitching.
That’s why the consecutive nine-inning games matter so much. The Cardinals need to know whether his elbows can tolerate playing defense, throwing and hitting on successive days.
When could he return?
There is no official return date.
Earlier in August, some reports suggested he could potentially return within weeks if he avoided another setback.
But the Cardinals’ August 20 update makes clear that they are still taking a cautious approach.
Therefore, it would be premature to say that Urías will definitely be back by a particular date.
The best way to interpret the situation is:
He’s progressing, but he still has one important rehabilitation hurdle to clear.
If he successfully plays full nine-inning games on consecutive days without elbow problems, the Cardinals could then seriously consider activating him.
Why his return matters to St. Louis
The timing is particularly interesting because the Cardinals are entering the final stretch of the season.
At the time of the ClutchPoints report, St. Louis was 66–63, sitting 2½ games behind the San Diego Padres for the final NL Wild Card position, with 33 games remaining.
That makes a healthy Urías potentially useful even if he isn’t an everyday starter.
His value is primarily:
Right-handed bat
Infield versatility
Ability to cover first, second, shortstop and third
Defensive flexibility late in games
An additional experienced option for the bench
The Cardinals don’t necessarily need him to become a star. They need him to become a healthy, dependable utility player who can give the roster another option during the playoff push.
The roster complication
There is, however, another side to this.
While Urías has been out, other players have had opportunities to establish themselves. Earlier reports noted that José Fermín had taken on a larger utility role, while Blaze Jordan had moved into the starting third-base picture.
That means Urías’ eventual return isn’t automatically going to result in an everyday role.
The Cardinals will have to decide whether his experience and defensive versatility are more valuable than keeping one of their younger players on the roster.
Bottom line
The ClutchPoints article is essentially saying “Urías is getting closer, but he’s not there yet.”
The latest official information is more encouraging than some of the earlier setbacks:
May: Right-elbow tennis elbow → placed on IL
June: Left-elbow pain during rehab → rehab stopped
July: Rehab restarted → hit on left elbow by pitch → another setback
August: Rehab restarted again → continuing to progress
Now: Cardinals want back-to-back nine-inning rehab games before making a decision.
So, as of August 21, 2026, there is no confirmed return date, but Urías remains in the rehabilitation process and has a realistic path back to St. Louis if he completes the required workload without another elbow problem.
One important correction: the ClutchPoints article says the Cardinals signed Urías to a two-year deal, but other reporting identifies his 2026 agreement as a one-year, $2 million contract.
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