ST. LOUIS -- Manager Mike Matheny indicated that the Cardinals will more seriously consider a potential move to the disabled list for right-hander Mike Leake if he has not shown marked improvement from his shingles diagnosis during an evaluation with the medical staff on Sunday.
The Cardinals, who had Alex Reyes start in Leake's place on Saturday, had hoped to avoid placing Leake on the DL. But they also anticipated a quicker recovery. On Sunday morning, Matheny noted that Leake is "not progressing quickly"
Leake was scheduled to check in with the medical staff at some point on Sunday, though he continues to be quarantined from his teammates. He will not travel with the club to Milwaukee on Sunday evening.
If the Cardinals opt to put Leake on the DL, his placement could be made retroactive to Aug. 22. That would make Leake eligible to return on Sept. 6. The club's other option is to play short one player until reinforcements arrive when rosters expand on Thursday. An off-day on Thursday gives the Cardinals additional flexibility to simply skip Leake's spot in the rotation if they want.
The longer Leake remains sidelined from baseball activities, the longer it will take for him to build back up his stamina, as well.
"A lot of it is going to be how he handles his body," Matheny said. "His body is fighting a very tough infection, because he's wiped out. When he's like that, you can't even start talking about pitching."
Worth noting
• Aledmys Díaz will remain in St. Louis during the team's upcoming road trip and will make another visit to the hand specialist on Monday. He hopes to gain clearance for full baseball activities and get a better feel for a recovery timeline during that appointment. Diaz was placed on the 15-day DL Aug. 2 with a fractured right thumb.
• After a day off on Saturday, Matt Adams returned to the Triple-A Memphis lineup for his third start in a rehab assignment on Sunday. Adams went a combined 2-for-6 in his first two appearances. Matheny would not commit to whether Adams would rejoin the Cardinals in Milwaukee or return after rosters expand.
• Brayan Peña (left knee inflammation) had a scheduled day off on Sunday as part of his Minor League rehab assignment schedule. Pena had two hits, including a double, and drove in two while serving as the designated hitter in a Gulf Coast League Cardinals game on Saturday. Matheny said Pena is scheduled to catch in a GCL game on Monday.
• Trevor Rosenthal, who has been on the DL with right shoulder inflammation since July 26, continues to throw on flat ground. As of Sunday, he did not know when he may progress to throwing off a mound.