Peralta (thumb) will be in a cast for four weeks following Thursday's surgery, and he is expected to return close to the All-Star break, ESPN's Mark Saxon reports.

EDGE Analysis

This is the clearest timetable we have heard regarding Peralta's thumb injury, but it is more of an educated guess from Saxon than a strict timeline from the Cardinals medical staff. With Peralta likely out for half the season, the Cardinals will have some decisions to make. General manager Jon Mozeliak acknowledged that other teams have come "ambulance chasing," but that the Cardinals want to see what they have internally before making a move to fill the hole at shortstop. Jedd Gyorko and Aledmys Diaz are the two players in camp vying for playing time at short, with Gyorko representing the more established big league bat, and Diaz offering better defense with the upside to be a league average hitter with minimal power/speed production.