Holliday sent to 15-day disabled list with Grade 2 strain of right quad
ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals expect to see Matt Holliday back on the field this season, but declined to set a timeline for how long he'll be out with a right quad strain he suffered Monday night in Colorado.
General manager John Mozeliak said an MRI showed a Grade 2 strain for the veteran left fielder, which is much better news than the Grade 3 strain -- or complete tear -- that sidelined Matt Adams last month and will keep him out until at least October. Holliday's injury occurred lower down his leg, and Mozeliak said it's also cleaner than the quad strain that sidelined prospect Tommy Pham for two months.
"I do think we'll have a better idea of what that looks like in a couple weeks," Mozeliak said Tuesday evening in a conference call. "The main thing right now is just to let it calm down and then re-study it and get a better idea of how long this might be."
The 35-year-old fell to the turf as he chased after what turned out to be a double for Carlos Gonzalez. The Cardinals put him on the disabled list earlier today for the first time since July 2013.
Holliday got off to a red-hot start, hitting .379 with an MLB-best on-base percentage of .500 in April. He broke a National League record by reaching base in 45 straight games to start the season and drove in 26 runs over his first 52 games.
"Matt's a hard guy to replace, especially given the type of year he was having," Mozeliak said. "But the way we approach injuries is the way we're going to have to approach this one with the next man up or next opportunity."
That will likely mean more time for rookie Randal Grichuk, who will start in right field and bat sixth Tuesday night at Coors Field. Grichuk is batting .262 with nine doubles and two home runs in 84 at-bats so far this season.
St. Louis called up right-hander Miguel Socolovich from Triple A Memphis to take Holliday's spot on the roster for tonight's game at Colorado. The young reliever has a 1.17 ERA in seven appearances for the Cardinals this year.
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