“He’s losing a lot of baseballs right now which is costing the club,” quipped Mike Matheny after watching Matt Holliday put on an impressive batting practice display Tuesday afternoon at Busch Stadium. It was the first on-field session for the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder since he re-injured his quadriceps the end of July.
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“Yeah, I haven’t really had to stop hitting much,” responded Holliday to the home run barrage. “I’ve been able to hit in the cage–hitting has never really bothered it.”
With the power swing in place, it raises the question of Holliday returning to the Cardinals lineup in a limited role as he finishes the rehab to play left field.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I probably won’t. We haven’t begun to even talk about any of that stuff. I think when I come back, I’ll be ready to play or be full-out. I don’t want any hesitation on the bases.”
Holliday has been running, including today, but was unsure of how fast it will progress to sprints and the other necessary runs.
But he is confident that he will be back in the lineup before the end of this month.
“I’ll be playing soon,” he stated.
photo credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
