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Matt Holliday Injury: Updates on Cardinals Star's Illness and Return

Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistSeptember 28, 2014

St. Louis Cardinals' Matt Holliday points into the dugout after hitting a two-run home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks during the sixth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Chicago. Matt Carpenter also scored on the play. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 28

The St. Louis Cardinals confirmed that Matt Holiday is returning to the lineup for the regular season finale:

St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals

#STLCards Game 162 http://t.co/16EyI1AR2k

Original Text

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to go into the playoffs as healthy as possible, but this could be a problem with Matt Holliday coming out of Saturday's game early.

Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com noted the roster move in the team's matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks:

Jenifer Langosch @LangoschMLB

Holliday has come out of the game in the middle of the sixth. I can't imagine that's just for defensive purposes. Bourjos now batting third.

The team's official Twitter account later reported the problem: 

St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals

Matt Holliday exited the game in the 6th inning with flu-like symptoms.

Considering he was able to play six innings before coming out, it does not seem like this situation will be too serious. Instead, this is likely a precautionary measure to make sure he is healthy before the start of the postseason.

Holliday has been one of the Cardinals' top hitters this season, drilling 20 home runs and a team-high 90 RBI. Although his .272 batting average will likely end up being a career low for the veteran, he is still a key member of a lineup that has been inconsistent in 2014.

The outfielder hit four home runs last postseason and will need to come through again if St. Louis plans on making another run to the World Series.

If he is forced to miss time, the Cardinals will likely continue to put Peter Bourjos in center field and Jon Jay in left field, where he has played 20 games this season.

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