Cards lose Freese for remainder of season

~ The third baseman will have surgery after being injured in a rehab assignment

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Cardinals rookie third baseman David Freese will miss the rest of the season with a tendon injury in his right leg that will require surgery.

Freese was hurt rounding third base in his first rehab game for Class AA Springfield on Monday night and pulled up about 30 feet from home plate with an injury that's comparable to a dislocation. The team believes this injury is unrelated to the right ankle bone bruise that landed Freese on the 15-day disabled list on June 28.

General manager John Mozeliak said Freese injured a tendon that holds the ankle in place, and said it was more common to football players. He had anticipated the news after talking to the Springfield trainer and hearing the report.

"I didn't think it would be very positive," Mozeliak said. "I had a bad feeling about it."

St. Louis Cardinals' David Freese pulls up after rounding third while heading for home plate during a Springfield Cardinals game against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, in Springfield, Mo. Freese strained his lower right leg during the rehab assignment, and will return to St. Louis to be evaluated. (AP Photo/Springfield News-Leader, Nathan Papes)

The 27-year-old Freese is batting .296 with four homers and 36 RBIs, his average dropping below .300 when he played for a while after getting hurt. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had anticipated Freese rejoining the lineup in a week to 10 days.

Felipe Lopez has gotten the bulk of the playing time at third base since Freese was hurt, and La Russa said he'd also consider using rookie outfielder Allen Craig there. Craig was recalled from Class AAA Memphis on Tuesday and was batting fifth against the Houston Astros, with outfielder Nick Stavinoha optioned to Memphis.

"Obviously it's disappointing, but we've played quite a while without him," Mozeliak said. "Other people will have to step up."

Mozeliak said the Cardinals might also seek a trade for a player who would have to clear waivers.

Freese made his major league debut in 2009, another season marred by injury. He played only 17 games with the Cardinals last year, spending time at four levels after spraining his left ankle. His spring training start was delayed that season by an auto accident.

The latest injury brings concerns about long-term durability.

"When you think about major league baseball and sustaining a career, it's about being able to play," Mozeliak said. "Unfortunately in his case he's had a rash of unfortunate injuries.

"You obviously feel bad for the player. He really did try to get back, it just wasn't in the Cards."

Reliever Jason Motte underwent an MRI that showed no problems after experiencing shoulder irritation during his outing Monday night. La Russa said Motte had heat applied to the shoulder after working a scoreless seventh, but told the team he was fine before walking Michael Bourn and Anderson Hernandez to start the eighth. The Astros ended up scoring three runs to take a 5-4 lead in a 9-4 victory.

"This sounds almost soap opera-like," La Russa said. "After the game was over he said his shoulder bothered him, and it bothered him after he warmed up, so why didn't he just say? We could have gone to a left-handed reliever to start the inning.

"All of a sudden he missed badly. Eight times."

Motte said the MRI exam showed inflammation in the joint.

"That's about it," Motte said. "Everything's perfectly fine."

Motte was 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 46 games, second-most on the team, with two saves.

"It was one of those things that it was just uncomfortable," Motte said. "I had no idea where the ball was going, it was one of those weird things."

Motte said he felt a "little uncomfortable," but not to the point where he couldn't pitch.

Mozeliak said right-hander Brad Penny, out since late May with an upper back injury, might progress to a bullpen session by the weekend. Penny, signed to a one-year, $7.5 million free agent deal in the offseason, has been playing catch.

"As he crosses these daily hurdles we might have a better idea when we could expect him back, but it's premature after a couple of days to jump to a conclusion," Mozeliak said.

The general manager added that time was of the essence, saying, "He has to fast-track it, no doubt."