Just two days after leaving Monday’s game with a torn right quadriceps muscle, which lead to the Cardinals placing him on the 15-day disabled list and recalling pitcher Miguel Socolovich from AAA Memphis Tuesday, left fielder Matt Holliday walked into the team clubhouse on Wednesday with hardly a noticeable limp, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
In his first comments since the injury, Holliday discussed the incident and his intial fears with Goold:
“I was running and I felt it pop, thought that I could still catch it. When I started to take the next couple steps is when I fell down. My leg just wouldn’t go. It hurt pretty bad. I’m actually pretty pleased with the fact that it’s not going to be as long as I anticipated when I did it.”
The Cardinals originally announced Holliday’s injury as simply a quad strain, which had many, including Holliday, fearing a diagnosis like the one given to first baseman Matt Adams, who is likely to be sidelined the rest of the regular season following surgery to repair a complete tear suffered assoiciated with his Grade 3 strain suffered while rounding first base on a hit.
But Holliday was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain, which does imply a tear of some size. Although not ruled out even after the positive diagnosis, Holliday will not require surgery to repair the strain, which will heal on its own.
“It feels fine walking. It’s definitely sore,” the 35-year-old told Goold. “The true test will be running, whenever that time comes. I feel pleased with the way it’s responded. I think as you get further away from it you have a better idea of potentially running and what it looks like. it feels better.”
The Cardinals medical staff will continue to monitor and evaluate Holliday as he slowly increases activity over the next few weeks, and the team and Holliday should have a better sense of his timetable in a week or so. Running will be the biggest test of his leg, and Holliday admitted that might be weeks away.
Holliday, who recently saw his National League record 45 consecutive games reaching base streak snapped, was in the midst of another outstanding season, hitting .303 with three home runs, ten doubles, and 26 RBIs.
Despite recent debate over how to find playing time for five outfielders (Randal Grichuk, Peter Bourjos, Jon Jay & Jason Heyard) at the three outfield positions, chatter immediately picked up after Holliday landed on the DL on why the Cardinals had not elected to bring up top hitting prospect outfielder Stephen Piscotty from AAA Memphis. When asked about the idea on MLB Network Radio, manager Mike Matheny said that, “to bring (Piscotty) up I don’t think is a real good idea yet. Right now I feel like we’re pretty well covered in the outfield with the four guys we’re trying to get time for anyhow.”
The Cardinals want to make sure the 24-year-old Piscotty, who is working away from an early-season slump, gets consistant playing time, something the club isn’t yet ready to offer at the major-league level.
Featured image used under Creative Commons by Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
