News
Cardinals pessimistic on Glaus' status
Slugger to be re-evaluated on either Monday or Tuesday
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
05/26/09 9:21 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Although the official update won't come until sometime next week, the Cardinals acknowledge growing pessimism regarding the status of Troy Glaus.The injured Cardinals third baseman has been rehabilitating in Arizona since early April, trying to recuperate from offseason right shoulder surgery. An initial expectation of an early-May return for Glaus has long since been discarded, and now even the All-Star break might be difficult to project. The Cardinals have made do with Brian Barden and Joe Thurston at third base, but production at the position has dropped precipitously since the beginning of the month.
Thus, the return of Glaus would be a huge boost. He was not only an impact bat in 2008 but a candidate for a Gold Glove at third base. But there's little optimism regarding such an occurrence.
"I don't know the answer yet, but my feeling is that it's probably less than 50-50 he's going to play," general manager John Mozeliak said on Tuesday.
The Cardinals won't really know for sure until after an evaluation and discussion, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday or Tuesday of next week, following the team's current road trip. But it would be something of a surprise if that conversation yielded a pleasant surprise.
"If things were really getting better or improving to where he'll be able to do baseball activities, it just seems like we'd be getting more feedback," Mozeliak said. "And I'm not hearing that."
If the pessimism is confirmed next week, the Cardinals may grow more aggressive in their attempts to upgrade their offense, be it at third base or elsewhere.
"We're going to begin the process of looking at everything," Mozeliak said. "I really don't feel we can pull the trigger until we have confirmation that either he's cleared for baseball activities and he'll be able to do something, or we have to be patient. But I don't think it's a situation I want to wait another four weeks or eight weeks."
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
