Holliday not ready; All-Star Game unlikely
Outfielder voted into NL starting lineup, on DL with quad strain
PITTSBURGH -- Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday will likely sit out until after the All-Star break, which would make him unavailable to play in the All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile on Tuesday, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said Friday.
As a result, Matheny said he contacted National League All-Star manager Bruce Bochy and informed him of Holliday's status.
"If he can't play for us, then he's not going to play in that game," Matheny said of Holliday, who was voted as a starter for the game.
If Holliday can't play, the Dodgers' Joc Pederson is positioned to replace him in the starting lineup for the All-Star Game, based on the fact that he is the NL outfielder with the next most votes on the Player Ballot. It would then be up to Bochy -- in consultation with the Commissioner's Office -- to pick a player to fill the vacated roster spot.
Holliday (right quad strain) injured himself chasing a fly ball June 8 against the Rockies and was placed on the disabled list the next day. Matheny had said Thursday that the 35-year-old could be activated from the DL as early as Friday.
:: All-Star Game on FOX: Tuesday, Coverage begins 7 ET ::
If he were to be activated, Matheny indicated that Holliday wouldn't play the field but would be available as a pinch-hitter.
Holliday has been running and working on agility recently, and while the manager called Thursday another step in the right direction, Friday was different.
"He still wasn't, in our opinion, close enough to take that risk, to have him as a pinch-hitter," Matheny said. "Going off of what he felt today, you could tell that he didn't feel real comfortable."
In a series pitting the NL's two best squads -- and divisional rivals, no less -- having Holliday's hitting would have benefited the Cardinals. Not only is he hitting .303 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in 178 at-bats this year, but Holliday is also a career .293 hitter against Pittsburgh.
But Matheny hopes the added days off will help Holliday return to full health.
"We were hopeful, but I think that was probably over-optimistic," Matheny said. "Now we're just taking our time. ... It's the right thing to do."