Jhonny Peralta Injury An Early Blow to St. Louis Cardinals' 2016 Hopes

Opening Day is still almost a month away, and the St. Louis Cardinals are already dealing with an injury that could have a significant impact on their 2016 season. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta left Saturday’s game with a thumb injury, and the early indications are that it could keep him on the shelf for 2-3 months, creating a large hole in the Cardinals’ lineup for almost a third of the season.

Over the past two seasons, Peralta has 38 home runs and 146 RBIs while primarily hitting 3rd or 4th in the Cardinals’ lineup. He has also played in at least 155 games the past two seasons, so he has stayed healthy and been a consistent and reliable part of the team’s lineup.

The Cardinals will have a hard time replacing Peralta’s production, especially with Jason Heyward leaving this winter and Yadier Molina battling both injuries and a steep decline in offensive production over the past two seasons.

With Peralta out, Jedd Gyorko now becomes the favorite to open the 2016 season as the Cardinals shortstop. Besides the obvious fact that Gyorko’s numbers pale in comparison to what Peralta is capable of putting up, Gyorko has played all of 29 games at shortstop in his big league career.

While Peralta isn’t exactly a Gold Glover at shortstop, he is certainly a better option than a player as inexperienced as Gyorko, especially one that came to the majors as a second baseman.

If the Cardinals are lucky, they may get Peralta back some time in May, but even a month or two without him will be damaging to their chances. Despite the Cardinals’ propensity for winning division titles, they could very well find themselves in a hotly-contested three-horse race for NL Central with the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.

In a division race in which one or two games could be the difference between winning a division title and settling for a Wild Card spot (or missing out altogether), the Cardinals will be hoping that Peralta gets well soon, Gyorko plays above and beyond what is expected of him, and that others in the lineup can step up early in the season.