Jhonny Peralta to Miss 2-3 Months with Thumb Injury
The 33-year old tore a ligament in his left thumb.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been hit with their first major injury of 2016. Starting shortshop Jhonny Peralta will miss two to three months with a torn ligament in his left thumb. After having an MRI taken of the injury, GM John Mozeliak was glum when he talked to reporters.
Jhonny Peralta did have an MRI taken of his thumb here in Florida, to which GM Mozeliak said: "The initial read is not positive." #stlcards
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) March 7, 2016
According to Sporting News, Peralta was seen leaving the Cardinals’ training complex in Jupiter, Florida to head back to St. Louis. Upon his return, the Cardinals will have a greater sense of what Peralta’s timeline looks like.
Peralta batted .271 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs as the starting shortstop for the Cardinals last season. He was an All-Star for the third time in five years, and was voted into the starting lineup for the first time. His production faltered in the second half, but he remains a key player in the organization. Currently, there are two options to replace Peralta. The first, and most obvious, is Jedd Gyorko. The Cardinals acquired Gyorko from the Padres this offseason primarily to serve as a utility man, but Peralta’s injury will likely see him bumped up to starting status in the meantime. Gyorko batted .257 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs last year in a starting role with the Padres.
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The second option is Greg Garcia. Garcia played a utility role last year with the Cards, hitting .240 in 75 at-bats. While that might not be impressive he owns a .337 OBP, compared to Gyorko’s .297 OBP. Of course, Gyorko played much more often, but even if one looks at Garcia’s 162-game average or his projections for 2016, Garcia’s numbers are propotionally favorable to Gyorko’s. The fact that Garcia was Kolten Wong‘s double-play mate at the University of Hawaii is another point in his favor. Despite this, it remains likely that Gyorko will be the one suiting up come opening day.