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Rafael Furcal | Shortstop

Team: St Louis Cardinals
Age / DOB:  (35) / 10/24/1977
Ht / Wt:  5'8' / 187
Bats / Throws: Switch / Right
Contract: view contract details
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Recent News

Cardinals transferred SS Rafael Furcal from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.
The move was made in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for the addition of Carlos Martinez. Furcal is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. May 3 - 10:37 AM

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Date:

Cardinals placed SS Rafael Furcal on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

Furcal, of course, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2013 season. The Cards are rolling with Pete Kozma at shortstop.
Mar 24 - 9:35 AM

Rafael Furcal underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday.

Furcal also had a bone spur removed from his right elbow. The veteran infielder will miss all of the 2013 season, with the Cardinals filling in with Pete Kozma at shortstop.
Mar 15 - 12:27 PM

Rafael Furcal will undergo Tommy John surgery next Wednesday in Pensacola, Florida.

The operation will be performed by Dr. James Andrews. Furcal's rehab will last 6-8 months, and he hopes his next game action will be in the Dominican Winter League, where he'll likely play second base. The Cardinals will go into the season with Pete Kozma as their shortstop.
Mar 8 - 1:59 PM

Rafael Furcal will require Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Furcal was originally diagnosed with a UCL tear last August, but he attempted to rehab the injury rather than undergo surgery. The gamble didn't pay off, as the elbow immediately gave him problems this spring. While position players can return from Tommy John surgery sooner than pitchers, the procedure will knock him out for the entire 2013 season. Ronny Cedeno and Pete Kozma are the likely candidates to take over at shortstop if the Cardinals don't make an addition from outside the organization.
Mar 7 - 9:32 AM

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said the probability that Rafael Furcal (elbow) will be ready for Opening Day is "a longshot."

It was pretty obvious following Furcal's recent setback that he wouldn't be at shortstop on Opening Day, but it's nice to get some clarity straight from the GM's mouth. Furcal was examined Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta and will get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. It's usually ominous when someone is sent to Dr. Andrews, but Mozeliak said that Furcal won't necessarily need surgery. Mo expects to have "finality" of Furcal's situation by "mid- to late week."
Mar 4 - 7:27 PM

Rafael Furcal is slated to get a second opinion on his ailing right elbow from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.

Furcal was examined Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta, but the Cardinals aren't expected to make an announcement about his status until after he meets with Andrews. The veteran shortstop was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament last August, but decided to rehab the injury rather than undergo Tommy John surgery. However, he is back to the drawing board now that the discomfort hasn't subsided.
Mar 4 - 5:43 PM

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said that Rafael Furcal had an MRI Friday that showed his elbow is inflamed but indicated no tear in the ligament.

Furcal will be examined again on Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta. The shortstop resisted Tommy John surgery last August, but it's possible he'll have to reconsider if further testing reveals that his ligament is compromised. Furcal has also dealt with a bone spur in the elbow. The Cards will use Ronny Cedeno and Pete Kozma at shortstop while Furcal is on the shelf.
Mar 3 - 12:13 PM

Rafael Furcal said Saturday that his elbow is "not getting better," and he's not sure if he'll be ready to play on Opening Day.

Furcal, who is dealing with a torn ligament and also more recently a bone spur in the elbow, began to feel worse as he ramped up his throwing program this past week. The bone spur had been giving him more issues, but apparently it's the ligament that is now again the major problem. He has been shut down from throwing and hitting for an undetermined amount of time. "What do you want me to do?" Furcal said. "It’s not getting better. I wish I could do whatever I could to make it better, so I could play." It's looking more and more like Ronny Cedeno will be the Cardinals' Opening Day shortstop, though he'd probably share the position with Pete Kozma until Furcal is ready.
Mar 3 - 8:31 AM

Rafael Furcal (elbow) is not in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday.

Furcal was expected to test his elbow in games this week, but obviously that's not going to happen. He remains without a timetable to return and it's still not yet clear whether he's going to be ready for Opening Day.
Mar 2 - 12:06 PM

Rafael Furcal reported no ill effects with his elbow Tuesday, a day after he took some swings from the left side of the plate.

The switch-hitter had been limited to swinging from the right side. Furcal still isn't close to 100 percent, but he's improving enough that he could test out his elbow in the field by the end of the week.
Feb 26 - 9:03 PM

Rafael Furcal (elbow) said he's "progressing well" and could play the field in games by this weekend.

Furcal has been limited to batting right-handed and is being used at DH early in spring training. He should be cleared to return without restrictions by early-March, but it's still not yet clear whether he's going to be ready for Opening Day.
Feb 26 - 10:44 AM

Two days after getting an anti-inflammatory shot for his elbow, Rafael Furcal went 0-for-2 from the DH spot on Sunday.

Furcal is limited to batting right-handed at the moment and was only going to get the one at-bat against Jon Lester, but he did get to bat a second time after the Red Sox brought in another lefty in reliever Andrew Miller. Furcal's status for Opening Day figures to remain up in the air for several weeks.
Feb 24 - 4:17 PM

Rafael Furcal received an anti-inflammatory shot in his right elbow Friday.

That right elbow remains a concern for Furcal and the Cardinals. Furcal, 35, tore a ligament in the elbow late in the 2012 season that kept him out the final two months, including the playoffs. As a result of the treatment, Furcal will not play in the field or bat left-handed until the pain subsides. His status for Opening Day is still uncertain. Ronny Cedeno would presumably fill in.
Feb 23 - 4:58 PM

Rafael Furcal served as the DH during an intrasquad game on Friday, and recorded two hits in his three trips to the plate.

Furcal is still experiencing pain in his surgically-repaired right elbow and will be limited to DH duty once he is finally able to play in Grapefruit League games. The Cardinals will continue to limit his exposure while he rehabs the injury. It's not clear yet whether he's going to be ready for Opening Day.
Feb 22 - 8:18 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Yadier Molina
2Tony Cruz
1B1Allen Craig
2Matt Adams
2B1Matt Carpenter
2Daniel Descalso
SS1Pete Kozma
2Rafael Furcal
3B1David Freese
2Ty Wigginton
LF1Matt Holliday
CF1Jon Jay
2Shane Robinson
RF1Carlos Beltran
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Adam Wainwright
2Jaime Garcia
3Jake Westbrook
4Lance Lynn
5Shelby Miller
6Chris Carpenter
7John Gast
8Tyler Lyons
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Edward Mujica
2Trevor Rosenthal
3Randy Choate
4Carlos Martinez
5Joe Kelly
6Fernando Salas
7Seth Maness
8Mitchell Boggs
9Jason Motte