Cardinals put Pham on DL, will recall Diaz on Tuesday
ST. LOUIS -- After a spring that saw such players as Jhonny Peralta, Ruben Tejada and Jordan Walden get hurt and have to start the season on the disabled list, it took all of one game for a member of the season-opening 25-man roster to suffer a similar fate.
Left fielder Tommy Pham left the opener against the Pirates in the second inning with a left oblique strain. The Cardinals announced Monday he has been placed on the 15-day DL. The team will recall rookie infielder Aledmys Diaz from Triple A Memphis prior to Tuesday night's game in Pittsburgh.
Diaz, 25, batted .265 (9 for 34) with five RBIs in 15 games this spring. A right-handed hitter, Diaz was signed by the Cardinals to a free-agent contract in March 2014.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound native of Cuba batted .380 with three home runs in 14 games at Memphis to close out the 2015 season. He posted a .315 batting average with four homers and 14 RBIs in 20 games in the Arizona Fall League last year.
Diaz, who will be assigned uniform number 36, began the 2015 season at Double A Springfield, leading the Cardinals with 25 doubles while also batting .383 against lefties.
