St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta could be out for two to three months due to a thumb injury.
The injury occurred during Saturday’s game against the Miami Marlins. Peralta injured his left thumb while fielding a foul ball on Saturday. He notified the Cardinals staff of discomfort but didn’t think that the injury was severe. An initial MRI showed that he had a ligament tear in his left thumb, according to MLB.com. The team is expecting to have a more firm diagnosis by mid-week.
“Unfortunately, once this is compromised, the lack of strength will ultimately be putting you in a very vulnerable position,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. “I definitely think Mr. Gyorko gives you more flexibility, especially from an offensive standpoint. And in terms of what we look like, there are always opportunities to get better. Right now we just have to take this information, absorb it, and that will determine what our next steps are over the next week or two."
Peralta is entering the third year of his four-year contract. He hit .275 and had 17 homeruns and 71 RBI’s last year, according to ESPN. In the last two seasons he hit .269/.335/.427 and had 38 homeruns and 146 RBIs. Jedd Gyorko will play shortstop for the Cardinals on Monday. Gyorko had 16 homeruns and 57 RBIs with the San Diego Padres last year.
Gyorko, Greg Garcia and Aledmys Diaz are the Cardinals options for shortstop with Peralta being out.