carlos martinez
Carlos Martinez has had a strong season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. Reuters

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez will miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder strain, the Major League Baseball team announced on Saturday.

The 2015 All-Star pitcher left Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning because of shoulder tightness. No surgery is planned, the team said.

The absence of the 24-year-old Dominican Republic native leaves St. Louis without one of their regular starters for the postseason.

The Cardinals (97-57) have the best record in the majors this season. Martinez has a 14-7 win-loss record this season with an ERA of 3.01 from 31 games.

In April, the Cardinals lost another ace starter, Adam Wainwright, with a torn Achilles, an injury that was expected to rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Wainwright, however, has made a quicker than expected recovery and the team has not ruled out his return for the playoffs.

(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)