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Reluctant Vina Pays 15-Day Visit To Disabled List
Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch
June 21, 2000
Taking the safety-first position, the Cardinals placed injured second baseman Fernando Vina on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday night with a strained hamstring. They recalled righthander Mike James, who was out with a strained right shoulder, from a medical rehabilitation option at Memphis.
Manager Tony La Russa, asked why the Cardinals wanted 12 pitchers rather than an extra infielder, said, "19 games in 20 days." The Cardinals are off only on July 3 before the All-Star break.
This is the second time Vina has been set back by a hamstring injury, but he missed just two games the last time.
La Russa said that if Vina is back in two weeks - in time for a Cincinnati series here - he would be happy. If it took three weeks or more and until the All-Star break, he could live with that, too.
"Whatever it takes," La Russa said. "It would be a really be an important part of our club, if, in 15 days, Vina is 100 percent relatively ready to go. But it's a long season."
Trainer Barry Weinberg said, "We're going to take our time and see if we can get him back to 100 percent. He's not 100 percent right now."
Weinberg said this hamstring injury is notably more severe than the last one suffered by Vina, but he was optimistic that Vina would be back in the first week of July.
Vina, who suffered the recurrence of his leg injury on Saturday in Los Angeles, said he had hoped the Cardinals would wait before sidelining him. But he said, "It's one of those things. I need to get it right. That's in my best interests. It's not right and in the next few days it's not going to be right.
"When I get out there and play again, I don't want to go half-speed or whatever. The way I play the game, it's tough to do it that way. I think it's better to take the pressure off me and let me heal up. I hate missing games but sometimes, you've got to take a step back to go forward."
Plus, if all goes well, third baseman Fernando Tatis, out since April 29 with a torn groin muscle, will be able to play for the Cardinals sometime next week. Tatis, who went through an extended workout on Monday, will be assigned to a minor-league club Wednesday to begin his rehabilitation. The Cardinals hope he can play by next Monday in Cincinnati.
Tatis knocked in 28 runs in April to lead the National League.
"It doesn't matter where I go," Tatis said. "But I know I'm going to play somewhere."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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