Matt Holliday’s injury to test Cardinals’ depth even further
The St. Louis Cardinals will be without Matt Holliday for at least two weeks. Holliday was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday with a partially torn right quad after suffering the injury Monday while chasing a fly ball. Just how long he’ll be sidelined beyond those two weeks still remains to be seen.
This is the third significant injury St. Louis has dealt with this season. First ace Adam Wainwright was ruled out for the year with a torn Achilles, then starting first baseman Matt Adams also went down with a torn quad.
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The good news is that Holliday’s injury, a Grade 2 strain, isn’t as severe as Adams’ Grade 3 strain, which is otherwise known as a complete tear and required season-ending surgery.
Still, losing Holliday for any period of time is a blow to St. Louis’ lineup. His power numbers are down this season, he hit three home runs in 52 games and his slugging percentage is .421, but his .417 OBP is second to only Bryce Harper among major-league outfielders.
The Cardinals haven’t been able to put a timeline on his return yet either. Depending on how the injury heals over the next two weeks, Holliday could be back on the field within a few days of the end of his DL stint or could be out another two weeks, maybe even a month. Manager Mike Matheny is staying optimistic that it’ll be on the short side.
”We’ll take those 15 days and reevaluate because we don’t know how it’s going to heal in that time. We’ll take that time to figure out. Matt’s been kind of freakish in his ability to bounce back from things.”
It’s an opportunity for the Cardinals to showcase their oustanding depth of young players. 23-year-old Randal Grichuk stands to benefit most from Holliday’s absence.
St. Louis has managed to keep the best record in baseball despite the injuries to Wainwright and Adams. Without Holliday they’re about to be tested even further, especially if the injury keeps him out beyond the initial 15 days.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
