The St. Louis Cardinals may be down a key piece of their starting lineup as All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta may have suffered a torn ligament in his thumb on March 5. It is uncertain when he will be ready to play again.
Continue for updates.
Peralta Reportedly Could Miss Multiple Months
Monday, March 7
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reported "Peralta suffered a left thumb injury...early indications are that he tore a ligament, could miss 2-3 months." She added that "Peralta will head back to St. Louis to receive a second opinion; [Cardinals] will get better feel for severity/recovery after that."
Peralta Has Been Important Contributor for Cardinals
Peralta is in the midst of his third season with the Cards, and the 33-year-old slugger was named to the All-Star team for the third time in five seasons during the 2015 campaign. He was voted into the starting lineup for the first time in his career.
Peralta ended the season with a .275 batting average, 17 home runs and 71 RBI, and he was a huge reason why the Cardinals were MLB's top regular-season team with a record of 100-62.
His production did drop off significantly in the second half, though, as he hit just .243 with four homers in 25 RBI. Even so, he entered the season as one of St. Louis' key players from an offensive perspective.
While Peralta's skills are undeniable, one of his most valuable attributes over the years has been his durability. He missed only seven games last season, and prior to the 2016 campaign, he had played in at least 146 contests every year since 2006, with the exception of 2013.
Peralta was suspended 50 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, but he has since managed to bounce back and remove himself from that dark past.
The talented shortstop has been embraced by the fans in St. Louis, and he is viewed as a huge piece of a potential championship puzzle for the Cards.
Losing a player of Peralta's caliber won't be easy to overcome, but with utility man Jedd Gyorko now in the fold, the Cardinals may be equipped to make due without Peralta until he is healthy to return.
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