ST. LOUIS -- Less than a week after losing Paul DeJong to a fractured left hand, the Cardinals may be down another shortstop.
Starting in DeJong's place for the second straight game, Greg Garcia left Monday night's 6-0 win in the I-70 Series opener in the sixth inning with lower back tightness. He is listed as day to day.
Garcia grimaced after taking a swing, prompting a visit from Matheny and the athletic training staff. He remained in the game and singled off Royals starter Ian Kennedy, before being replaced by pinch-runner Yairo Munoz.
"[Garcia] thought he could do everything pretty well except run, and then when I watched him take off on the foul ball, I just knew that we needed to get him off the field," manager Mike Matheny said.
Garcia and Jedd Gyorko have split the first four starts at short in place of DeJong, who is expected to be out for at least several weeks. The 28-year-old Garcia is hitting .241 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 36 games as the Cardinals' utility man. It's his third full season in that role.