Wednesday, February 20, 2013
If Furcal misses time...
By Doug Mittler
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing it safe with shortstop Rafael Furcal, who could miss the first week of Grapefruit League games due to irritation in his right elbow, reports Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch.
Furcal missed September and all of the postseason because of a torn ligament in the elbow and has yet to throw at full strength. The Cardinals still expect Furcal to be ready by Opening Day, but they have Pete Kozma and Ronny Cedeno waiting in the wings just in case.
Kozma made a favorable impression last year, hitting .333 as a late-season callup, and starting at shortstop throughout the postseason. Assuming Furcal is healthy, Cedeno could end up as trade bait.
