The St. Louis Cardinals received good news about shortstop Rafael Furcal on Monday afternoon, as MRI results showed that his frayed elbow ligament has completely healed, reports Jim Bowden of ESPN:
John Mozeliak just told us that Rafael Furcal just had an mri 2 hrs ago and the ligament is completely healed and he is expected to be 100%
— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) November 19, 2012
The 35-year-old Furcal missed the final month of the 2012 season after injuring his ulnar collateral ligament while throwing in late August. The switch-hitter underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection a few weeks later and has been rehabbing ever since.
The Cardinals had been on the hunt for a new shortstop because they feared that Furcal would not be ready for the regular season. Now that Furcal has received a clean bill of health, it is unclear whether St. Louis will continue their pursuit of a middle infielder. The club had been tied to the Indians’ Asdrubal Cabrera.