[OnTheWarpath15]

Freese done for the year.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseb...27992bc8b.html

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Tuesday that third baseman David Freese’s most recent injury is “season ending.”

Freese will have surgery to repair a torn tendon in right ankle, and it is not clear how long Freese will need to recover. Mozeliak met with the media this afternoon at Busch Stadium and the first words he spoke when asked about Freese were: "Not good."

Freese was hurt Monday night after apparently re-injuring his problematic right ankle in a rehab assignment at Class AA Springfield. Manager Tony La Russa said Freese heard a "pop" as he rounded third base and pulled up awkwardly on his way home.

Mozeliak likened the injury to the ankle equivalent of the wrist injury Mark DeRosa had last season. Essentially, a tendon casing in Freese's right ankle tore.

The general manager said that the injury appears to be independent of Freese's other ailments.

Mozeliak said that Freese's absence for the rest of the season does change the team's approach to the waiver trading period but that the options are "limited." For the Cardinals to add a third baseman that player must either clear waivers or the Cardinals must put a claim in on a third baseman via the waiver process.

Players can still be traded between now and Aug. 31 and still be eligible for the postseason. But every player traded must go through the waiver process.

Among the third baseman expected to be available this month are Boston's Mike Lowell, who is returning from injury, and Baltimore's Ty Wigginton. The latter would be a player in demand and he would have to clear every team in the American League and the teams with worse records than the Cardinals in the NL for the Cardinals to have the sole claim on him.

"Obviously it's disappointing," Mozeliak said of another injury to the rookie third baseman. "But we've played quite awhile without him. Like any other situation like this other people have to step up. Will it change how we look at the post-trading deadline (scenario)? Possibly."

Freese has been on the disabled list since June 28 and he originally injured his ankle three weeks before going on the disabled list.

Originally targeted for a return immediately after the All-Star break, Freese’s recovery was complicated by a broken toe, an injury he sustained by dropping a weight on his left foot while working out.

Freese figured to be an important piece for the Cardinals’ stretch run. His return would have given the Cardinals a deeper lineup and more flexibility.

A St. Louis native, Freese hit .296 with a .404 slugging percentage and 36 RBIs in 70 games for the Cardinals this season.