Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch confirms what was feared last night: Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and is done for the season.
Strauss reports that no decision has been made yet on Furcal going under the knife, but a torn UCL is the injury fixed by Tommy John surgery. Recovery times are quicker for position players than pitchers, although a big part of Furcal’s game is his arm strength at shortstop and the 34-year-old’s status for next season would definitely be in doubt. He’s under contract for $7 million in 2013.
Because the injury occurred with almost zero time for the Cardinals to trade for a veteran shortstop Daniel Descalso figures to be the primary fill in, although they also called up light-hitting minor leaguer Pete Kozma from Triple-A and for tonight at least he’s in the starting lineup. Kozma was a first-round pick in 2007, but has always struggled offensively in the minors and hit just .232 with a .647 OPS in 131 games at Triple-A this season.
Furcal finishes the season hitting .264 with five homers, 12 steals, and a .671 OPS in 121 games.
