The St. Louis Cardinals were hoping to see shortstop Jhonny Peralta get back on the field soon, but it looks like that return will be delayed just a little bit longer. Peralta, who tore a ligament in his thumb during spring training that required surgery, cut his thumb while opening a box on Saturday. The stitches require three to four days to heal, meaning he has no choice but to sit and wait a little bit before getting back to playing.
Saturday was Peralta’s birthday, so perhaps there was a present that was juts a tad difficult to open. If this sounds a little familiar, that is because current Cardinals manager Mike Matheny suffered a similar injury on his birthday during his playing days in St. Louis.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, who suffered a similar injury, couldn’t help but make a crack at the expense of his shortstop.
“I just don’t have any idea how someone could cut their hand. That just amazes me,” Matheny joked. “I feel for him because I’ve been there. Fortunately, his isn’t that big a deal, just a minor setback. We can’t bubble wrap guys. You have to live life and there are going to be things that happen.”
Join us in wishing a Happy 34th Birthday to #STLCards shortstop Jhonny Peralta! pic.twitter.com/LZwHnU7KnB
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 28, 2016
Peralta may now have his next rehab assignment with the Triple-A affiliate of the Cardinals in Memphis. The Cardinals were hoping to have Peralta back by the end of this week, but that return date is being pushed back until he can get some swings in the batter’s box in the minors first.
On the bright side for St. Louis, Peralta’s replacement has been on fire this season. Rookie Aledmys Diaz came into Sunday’s game with the Nationals hitting .319/.352/.548 with seven homers in 47 games.
[ESPN]
