By Chris Brown – STL Baseball Today
The first place Cardinals have undoubtedly endured more than their fair share of injuries in 2015. For much of the year, a Matt has been among the players listed on the DL. Now, in early September, three Matts – Holliday, Adams, and Belisle – are working to make in back on the field before the end of the regular season. The latest updates on their statuses, with information from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch:
HOLLIDAY SLOWLY INCREASING RUNNING
Working his way back from his second quad strain of the season, Matt Holliday went through some reduced-speed running workouts on Saturday, with manager Mike Matheny saying afterward that the left fielder “looked like the exact speed for a home run trot.” Holliday has been hitting for some time now, and recently has been receiving at-bats against Belisle in real game simulation.
ADAMS REBOUNDING FROM SETBACK
The story is very similar for first baseman Matt Adams, who performed sprints at close to full speed on Saturday as he continues to work his way back from late-May surgery to repair a grade three quad strain.
After recently experiencing a setback with his non-surgically-repaired leg while at the team’s facilities in Florida, the 27-year-old now seems to be back on track in his recovery.
GM John Mozeliak said on Monday that both Adams and Holliday could be activated by the middle of September, with Holliday likely to return first.
BELISLE THROWS BP, CLOSE TO ACTIVATION
Matt Belisle, sidelined since late-June due to an elbow injury, threw in a simulated game situation on Sunday to Holliday, Adams, and Pete Kozma. The 35-year-old veteran responded well from the session, and hopes to be activated in the next few days.
“I have to make sure that when I’m coming back, they’re getting me,” Belisle said. “And not someone who is just trying to fill in, but someone who has his stuff and his command.”
Update 9/8: Mike Matheny told reporters, including David Wilhelm of the Bellville News-Democrat, on Tuesday that while Belisle was hoping the next time he pitched would be in the majors, the veteran is likely to throw at least once more on the side in some capacity.
“He might need another time to throw,” the manager said. “Where that will be, we’re still trying to figure that out.”
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Featured image used under Creative Commons by Keith Allison. No changes made. Image license.
