Cardinals OF Matt Holliday placed on 15-day DL with right quad strain

Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday left Wednesday night's loss to the Cincinnati Reds with a right quadriceps strain

St. Louis Cardinals leftfielder Matt Holliday has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quad, the team announced Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, an MRI late Wednesday night revealed a Grade 2 strain. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said he wasn't sure how long Holliday would be out.

"We're still very hopeful that he will be able to contribute this year," Mozeliak said, according to the AP. "A lot will really be determined over the next week or two, and we'll see how it goes. When he was playing, you saw glimpses as to why he's important to this team."

Holliday left Wednesday night's 1–0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning after running to first base on a double play ball, undergoing the MRI later in the night.

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​It is the same injury that caused Holliday to miss 31 games earlier this season, though Mozeliak said Thursday that the latest strain isn't as severe as the initial one.

After Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday night that Holliday's injury “plays into the equation” regarding the team's plan heading into Friday's non-waiver trade deadline, St. Louis completed a trade Thursday for Indians first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss.

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To replace Holliday on the 25-man roster, the Cardinals recalled infielder Greg Garcia from Triple A Memphis. In addition, first baseman Dan Johnson was designated for assignment.

After returning from his first stint on the disabled list, Holliday had six hits in 29 at-bats.

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Holliday, 35, is hitting .290 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 63 games this season for St. Louis (64-37), which has baseball’s best record and a 4.5-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central.

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