WASHINGTON -- Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta suffered a minor setback to his rehab when he cut his right thumb opening a box Saturday and required three stitches. Saturday was Peralta's birthday, but Cardinals manager Mike Matheny did not know whether Peralta was opening a birthday present.
Peralta has been out since March with a torn ligament in his thumb. He is currently on a rehab stint at Double-A Springfield, and St. Louis had planned to advance him to Triple-A Memphis before activating him. Matheny said the setback will keep him out three or four days.
Oddly, Matheny can relate well to Peralta's injury. In 2000, the then-Cardinals catcher required surgery and missed the playoffs after injuring himself under similar circumstances. As Matheny explained Sunday, he cut his hand as he put away a knife he had just received as a birthday gift.
"I feel for him because I've been there," Matheny said. "You can't bubble wrap guys. They've got to go through life, and things happen."