The St. Louis Cardinals are getting healthy at the right time.
The best team in the MLB will welcome back outfielder Matt Holliday on Tuesday, and first baseman Matt Adams, who was activated from the disabled list last week, will be in the starting lineup tonight.
#STLCards activate All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday (right quad strain) from the 15-day DL. Matt Adams in starting lineup tonight
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 15, 2015
Matt Holliday activated by #STLCards -- ahead of schedule, based on statements made over the weekend. Had been on DL since July 30.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 15, 2015
Both Holliday and Adams were out for an extended period of time due to quadriceps injuries and their timetables for return were largely unclear. Adams' season was thought to be in danger after he suffered his injury early on in the year, but the Cards were lucky enough to get him back.
Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was the first to report Adams could be in the lineup tonight.
Holliday, who aggravated his quad on two separate occasions, has played in only 63 games this season. His offensive presence has been missed in a Cardinals' lineup that ranks 24th in the MLB with 572 runs scored. Holliday is batting .290/.409/.420 with 23 runs scored, 4 home runs and 31 RBIs on the season.
St. Louis has hit a bit of a rough patch, going 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Pittsburgh Pirates trail the Cardinals by only 2.5 games in the NL Central and could seriously make a run in the final weeks of the season to displace St. Louis as the best team in baseball.
However, the return of Holliday and Adams provides great relief for the team, as they've dealt with countless injuries this season.
The Cardinals will continue their current 10-game road trip tonight as they kick off a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers and then travel to Wrigley Field for a crucial three-game set against the Chicago Cubs this weekend.
