Nick Punto Out 8-10 Weeks

I guess St. Louis Cardinal fans are going to have to wait to see their dream infield of Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Theriot and Albert Pujols.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Punto will be out 8-10 weeks following hernia surgery. Punto is expected to return to the Cardinals around May.

Normally, I wouldn’t care about a guy who has a career .644 OPS being out for an extended period of time, but with Punto out, there is now added pressure on David Freese to be and more importantly, remain healthy at the outset of the 2011 season. If Freese’s ankles aren’t ready to go by Opening Day, the Cardinals could be looking at Tyler Greene or Ramon Vasquez as their starting third baseman come March 31st.

Yuck.

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