Jason Motte will be out for at least a week with a mild strain in his elbow, leaving open the possibility that the Cardinals will begin the season without their closer.
Motte had stopped throwing following the results of an MRI a day earlier.
"Right now it's going to slow him down," John Mozeliak said. "We're certainly going to be aggressive with the rehab."
Motte, 30, agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract extension to avoid salary arbitration after posting a career-high and NL-best tying 42 saves in 49 chances in 2012.
Via ESPN