CINCINNATI -- Only three batters into the second half on Friday night came a potentially season-ending injury for Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson. A foul tip hit near Stephenson's shoulder and he suffered a broken right clavicle during a 9-5 win over the Cardinals at Great American Ball Park.

A timetable for Stephenson's return was not immediately known, the club said.

"Obviously, I’ve taken foul balls before in very different spots. It was a good one. I’ve never had one up in that area," said Stephenson, who had his arm in a sling after the game while sitting in visible discomfort.

Paul Goldschmidt was batting in the top of the first inning for St. Louis against Graham Ashcraft when he fouled off a 100 mph pitch and hit Stephenson. The catcher was clearly in discomfort and was checked on by athletic trainer Tomas Vera and manager David Bell, but remained in the game.

Ashcraft's next pitch was a ball to Goldschmidt, and Stephenson was able to throw the ball back to the pitcher.

"I thought it was fine," Stephenson explained. "David and Tomas wanted me to throw and I was like, ‘I’m fine.’ I didn’t think anything of it at the time."

Next, Goldschmidt dribbled a ball in front of the plate. Stephenson fielded the ball but doubled over in pain when he drew his arm back trying to make the throw.

"When he went to grab it, there was nothing there. That’s when I knew that it hurts," Ashcraft said.

The ball dropped to the ground and Goldschmidt was safe with a single. Stephenson didn't recall it at the moment, but Ashcraft remembered he heard the catcher say he heard a pop as he tried to throw.

"I could feel it rub up and pretty much break, rub up against each other," Stephenson said. "I still feel it if I do move … It’s a clean break in my collarbone. Luckily, I guess the good thing is there is no surgery needed as long as it heals correctly."

When Stephenson left the game, he was replaced by Michael Papierski behind the plate.

"It seemed like he was OK. It just shows the pain tolerance that guys play with, and especially at that position, for him to even think that he could even [stay in] was pretty incredible," Bell said. "In our dugout, it was very deflating. I will say that our players did a nice job of kind of rallying around each other and staying with it during the game. We played well the rest of the game but it’s tough."

Stephenson, 25, is batting .319 with an .854 OPS, six home runs and 35 RBIs this season as a key contributor for Cincinnati, but he's been limited to 50 games because of injuries.

"I’m bummed," Reds first baseman Joey Votto said. "He has played very well this year and has been fighting through some things. Most importantly, the Reds' fans don’t get to see him play which is not good either. He’s such a good player."

The Reds’ main backup catcher, Aramis Garcia, is already on the injured list with a left middle finger injury. Cincinnati will likely summon Mark Kolozsvary from Triple-A Louisville to back up Papierski until Garcia can return.

Stephenson has already been on the injured list twice this season with serious injuries. He missed 10 games with a concussion after an April 19 collision with Luke Voit of the Padres. On June 9 vs. Arizona, Stephenson fractured his right thumb after he was hit by another foul tip and missed 27 games.

Questions have arisen this season about whether the Reds should move Stephenson to a different position to help him avoid injuries and keep him in the lineup.

"The million dollar question," Stephenson said. "I grew up a catcher. I’ve been catching my whole life. I want to stick around behind the plate, obviously, as much as possible. It’s something that I enjoy and I love calling myself a catcher because not many people can call themselves that, especially a big league catcher.

"I know injuries are going to happen. If it does come to a point where something physically is not going to allow me to catch, that’s a different story. Obviously, I know what my decision is. I want to catch. That’s a conversation for another day."