Cardinals place Paul DeJong on DL with fractured hand

The Cardinals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured left hand, per a club announcement Friday afternoon:

DeJong suffered the injury after being hit by a Luis Garcia pitch in the eighth inning of the Cardinals’ Thursday night loss to the Phillies. It wasn’t at all clear that he’d actually been hit by the pitch, let alone that he was seriously injured; the play had to be reviewed in order for DeJong to be awarded a base after the HBP.

Right-handed reliever Matt Bowman, who has struggled to get into a rhythm this season, was also placed on the DL with a pair of blisters. They become the ninth and 10th players, respectively, on the Cardinals’ disabled list, joining starting pitchers Carlos Martinez, Adam Wainwright, and Alex Reyes, relievers Luke Gregerson, Dominic Leone, and Tyler Lyons, and catchers Yadier Molina and Carson Kelly.

After hitting 38 homers between Triple-A Memphis (13) and the majors (25) as a rookie last season and finishing second to Cody Bellinger in NL Rookie of the Year voting, DeJong had enjoyed a very good sophomore season up to this point, posting a .260/.351/.473 slash line with eight homers in 171 plate appearances while recording a solid three defensive runs saved at short. On the other hand, he had struggled to stay disciplined at the plate, striking out at a 29.2% rate — the highest among the Cardinals’ everyday starters — and a less-than-stellar 9.4% walk rate.

With DeJong on the DL, the Cardinals have several options — though none nearly as appealing — as they look to replace him. Jedd Gyorko, who has posted an outstanding .930 OPS this season but has mostly played second and third base as a major-leaguer, will start at shortstop on Friday night. St. Louis also recalled utility man Yairo Munoz, who has the ability to play short, on Friday and already has veteran utility infielder Greg Garcia on its bench.