DENVER -- The Cardinals remain hopeful Kolten Wong (The Pebble) can avoid the disabled list after straining his left hamstring during Saturday's 9-1 loss to the Rockies, and will use Monday's off-day to give them more time to make a decision about their second baseman. St. Louis is proceeding with caution but understandably hesitant about interrupting Wong's season during their most productive stretch.
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"It's not looking too good," said Wong, who will continue to undergo treatment before being re-evaulated on Monday in St. Louis. "It's been frustrating. Put in a lot of work to battle my way back, and to get hurt again."
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Wong underwent an MRI after coming up lame trying to beat out a ground ball in the second. The tests revealed a strain the Cardinals classified as "minor," but Wong described as "a sharp pain" on the outside of his hamstring that forced him to pull up after trying to beat out a grounder in the second. He walked off the field gingerly, but under his power.
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Wong also spent 10 days on the DL in July with a less severe hamstring injury.
"If I have to tape this thing up, I'll tape it up. I don't want to miss this. We're playing good ball, and I want to be out there with my teammates."
This injury comes at an inopportune time for Wong, who is in the midst of his most productive stretch of the season. The second baseman entered play hitting .347/.400/.472 in the second half while ranking as one of baseball's best defensive infielders.
Those numbers come in stark contrast to Wong's early output. The 27-year-old, who's currently hitting .244, began the year in a career-worst slump, his average sinking to a low of .174 on May 26.
"It's one of those things where I'm hoping for the best," Wong said. "But it's kinda there, I guess."