St. Louis Cardinals fans received the worst April Fools Day gift ever Friday, when it was revealed that Matt Holliday underwent an emergency appendectomy and would almost certainly hit the disabled list. Holliday, who hit a home run in the Cardinals' Opening Day loss to the San Diego Padres, is likely to miss two to six weeks, judging from previous players who've had to undergo the procedure.
Holliday, who signed a seven year, $120 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2010 season, hit .312/.390/.532 with 28 home runs and 45 doubles in his first full season with the club, during which he missed just four games.
The likely replacements for Holliday, at least in the near term, are backup outfielders Allen Craig and Jon Jay, who were slated briefly to start in a right field platoon before the Cardinals signed Lance Berkman as a free agent. Craig hit .320/.389/.549 last season in 83 games with AAA Memphis, as well as hitting .246/.298/.412 across several Major League stints. Jay, a center fielder in the minor leagues and Berkman's "legs" in 2011, hit .300/.359/.422 in a strong rookie season for the Cardinals last year.