Cards place Ozuna on injured list, recall O’Neill, Thomas

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Marcell Ozuna on the injured list Saturday with a fracture at the base of his right middle finger.

Ozuna was injured Friday night when he dived back into the bag as he was being picked off.

Manager Mike Schildt said Ozuna will travel back to St. Louis, where he’ll be seen by a hand specialist, on Sunday. Schildt said the team believes surgery won’t be required.

Ozuna was hitting .259 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs.

“He’s a presence, and people had to game plan for him,” Schildt said. “He’s a residual guy in the lineup. He did his damage when he homered, 62 RBIs, but he also makes guys around him better.

“We’re going to miss him but we’re going to have other opportunities for guys to step up,” the manager said.

The Cardinals also placed right-hander John Brebbia on the paternity list and recalled outfielders Tyler O’Neill and Lane Thomas from Triple-A Memphis.