Cardinals hurler's knee injury reportedly is far worse than anticipated

The St. Louis Cardinals were busy this year at the deadline and checked their three biggest needs off their to-do list. Their biggest acquisition was right-hander Erick Fedde.

Fedde came over from the Chicago White Sox, and he'll start on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. The addition comes at just the right time for St. Louis.

According to John Denton of MLB.com , a key starter for the Cardinals has gone down, and the injury is more severe than originally anticipated.

"(Right-handed pitcher) Lance Lynn knew that his right knee injury was pretty serious last night and he showed it with how he limped out of the clubhouse after the game," Denton tweeted on Wednesday. "He was already fearing that his right knee on his push-off leg might be severely damaged."

Lynn has been placed on the 15-Day Injured List with right knee inflammation. In a corresponding move, St. Louis has recalled right-hander and St. Louis area native Ryan Loutos from Triple-A Memphis.

The veteran right-hander, who was signed to a one-year, $10 million contract last offseason, pitched five innings and allowed just one run against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. He earned the win and became the latest pitcher to have recorded a win against all 30 MLB teams.

Losing Lynn certainly hurts the rotation, as he has provided some key innings for the Cardinals this season. The 37-year-old right-hander is 6-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 106.1 innings of work this season.

The last remaining holdover from the team's 2011 World Series roster has also recorded 97 strikeouts and posted a 1.36 WHIP.

Fedde is certainly joining the rotation at the perfect time for St. Louis, and with Lynn now out, Andre Pallante will likely remain in the rotation.

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