4 years agoSaint Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim is dealing with some tightness in his back following a bullpen session three days ago, according to manager Mike Shildt. "Nothing that's overly concerning from a long term situation," Shildt added. He also noted that Kim has been responding well to treatment to help loosen up his back. While the team doesn't sound too concerned about Kim's back issue his availability for Opening Day is not guaranteed. The 32-year-old lefty has really struggled so far this spring, allowing seven earned runs over three innings of Grapefruit League play. Kim helped anchor the Cardinals' rotation during the shortened 2020 season when he put up a sparkling 1.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 24:12 K/BB ratio over 39 innings. While the underlying metrics don't back up those numbers he's a capable back-end starter in fantasy leagues. His tight back does hamper his value, though, so fantasy managers will need to keep track of his progress in the coming days.--Jon Mathisen - RotoBaller
Source: Jeff Jones of The Belleville News