Lance Berkman was playing through a finger injury yesterday when he tweaked his left calf muscle legging out a rare triple, leaving the game two innings later.
He’s also absent from the Cardinals’ lineup this afternoon, sitting out against right-hander Johnny Cueto and the Reds.
Berkman described his calf as “tender” following the game and initially held out some hope that he’d be in the lineup today, suggesting it might not be particularly serious.
He was off to a great start this season, batting .375 with a 1.190 OPS through five games, but Matt Carpenter is now filling in for Berkman at first base and hitting cleanup. Carlos Beltran also has the day off.
When he does return, the 36-year-old Berkman may want to think about stopping at second base.
