The St. Louis Cardinals have confirmed shortstop Rafael Furcal will miss the rest of the season with a Grade 2 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Rather than immediately opting for surgery, Furcal will initially attempt a 4-to-6-week rehabilitation process.
News of Furcal's injury was originally reported on Friday, although confirmation of the diagnosis didn't come until the MRI results were revealed on Saturday. Furcal hit .264/.325/.346 in 531 plate appearances before the injury. However, after posting .333/.391/.460 line through May, he has struggled mightily over the past three months, hitting .215/.278/.265 in that timeframe.
The Cards, who are firmly entrenched in the NL Wildcard race, called up Pete Kozma on Friday to replace Furcal, and Daniel Descalso should see some playing time at shortstop as well. St. Louis resumes their series on Saturday vs. the Washington Nationals at 3:05 p.m. CT in Washington, D.C.
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