ST. LOUIS -- A season already dotted with adversity ended prematurely for Aledmys Diaz on Sunday, when he had to be removed from the Cardinals' 6-1 loss to the Brewers after sustaining a left hamstring strain in the second inning.
Diaz came up hobbling after trying to beat out an infield single in his first at-bat. Replay review eventually overturned the initial safe call, though Diaz had already walked off the field alongside a team athletic trainer by the time the ruling was made.
"Sometimes the season ends like the way the whole season goes," Diaz said. "I don't think it's going to be too serious. I'll let it heal for a couple of weeks and then get back working to get stronger again."
Diaz started the team's final three games at third base, a position at which he gained exposure during his time in Triple-A Memphis. After opening the season as the Cardinals' starting shortstop, Diaz was demoted to the Minors in July and remained there until Memphis' postseason run ended in mid-September.
Diaz finished with a .259/.290/.392 slash line over 301 plate appearances in his second big league season. His OPS dropped nearly 200 points from his All-Star rookie season.
"There was a lot of frustration," he said. "It was a tough season for me. But at the same time, I had a chance to get back here and then work this offseason to get better."