A bout of appendicitis stopped Matt Holliday in his tracks a day after his Opening Day star turn, but the St. Louis Cardinals slugger will manage to avoid the disabled list, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This isn't the most common "injury" in baseball history, but just this week the sample size of position players with appendix problem was expanded by two—Holliday was joined by Adam Dunn, whose appendix problems will keep him out no more than five days.
Holliday's case was apparently more severe, or else Adam Dunn has seen a lot of John Wayne movies because we've already hit the five day mark since Holliday's appendectomy. But it looks like those early 2-6 week estimates will prove extremely pessimistic—the Cardinals apparently expect him back this weekend.
Allen Craig has been more than adequate in Holliday's absence; he's gone 5-14 in Holliday's place, driving in four runs, walking twice, and even stealing two bases while he's been at it. Holliday's return is likely to mean more pinch-hitting for Craig and more defensive replacement innings for Jon Jay, who seemed set to serve as Lance Berkman's legs when the Cardinals carried five healthy outfielders.