Peralta left Saturday's Grapefruit League game after fouling a pitch of his knee, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Peralta stepped back into the box following the incident, flying out to right field. Kolten Wong then replaced him on defense. The move may have been precautionary with Opening Day looming, but further evaluation should confirm the extent.

Peralta is likely to start at third base on Opening Day, while Jedd Gyorko is expected to serve as a utility infielder, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

We've had similar reports recently, but Langosch is gleaning the likelihood from manager Mike Matheny's comments, which appear to hint at the Opening Day plans. Despite Peralta's potential for 20 home runs in a full season, Peralta's playing time may be his biggest asset as a fantasy player. With that possibly in flux as the year progresses, his ceiling remains quite low in most fantasy games.

Peralta could be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter at third base, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Rick Hummel reports.

EDGE Analysis

While manager Mike Matheny commended Peralta's defensive actions at third base and was excited to see the strength back in his swing, he was not interested in declaring whether Peralta or Jedd Gyorko would start at the hot corner on Opening Day, but Hummel suspects it will be Peralta. His .685 OPS in 35 at-bats this spring does not inspire much confidence, but the team likes what they are seeing after Peralta dealt with a torn thumb ligament last season. He is coming to grips with the fact that his career as a regular shortstop is likely over, and is aware that with the move to third base, more pressure will be put on his bat. Matt Carpenter and Aledmys Diaz figure to play almost every day, but the deployment of Peralta, Gyorko, Kolten Wong, and Matt Adams should be a source of great frustration for fantasy owners this season.

Peralta went 1-for-3 with an RBI double in Monday's 6-3 Grapefruit League win over the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran continues battling Jedd Gyorko for the starting third base job after being displaced from his long-time shorstop role by Aledmys Diaz's stellar 2016 rookie season. The battle appears to be fairly even at present, as Peralta's six RBI tie him for third on the team with Matt Adams and Paul DeJong. However, Gyorko has the better batting average at .304 and also launched his first homer of spring Monday. A platoon scenario may ultimately develop at the hot corner, with manager Mike Matheny also having the option of deploying Gyorko at second as he did Monday, thereby allowing both players to reside in the same lineup.

Peralta went 2-for-3 with a run-scoring double, RBI triple and a run in Tuesday's 9-2 Grapefruit League win over the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran infielder, battling Jedd Gyorko for the starting third base job, continued a hot spring that's seen him slash .357/.375/.643 with a pair of doubles, Tuesday's triple and three RBI overall in 14 at-bats. Peralta is playing third base on a regular basis for the first time since the 2010 campaign with the Indians, but he's handled all 10 chances he's had over 23 spring innings without a hitch.

Peralta, who was significantly affected by a spring training thumb injury last season, is healthy and ready to compete for the third base job this spring, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. "I never felt 100 percent," Peralta said Sunday. "To tell the truth, last year was kind of tough with everything that happened. Going to third base so quickly, that was tough. The swing, sometimes it would not feel right. But I learned from last year. I feel different now."

EDGE Analysis

The veteran, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2017, feels as if he's in a much better position than he was at any time last season. Peralta's thumb, which required surgery that sidelined him until June, never fully healed until the offseason, when a prolonged stretch of rest finally did the trick. Meanwhile, he had a whole new set of challenges in the field, where he was being asked to play third base for the first time since the 2010 campaign with the Indians. With Adelmys Diaz now the full-time shortstop, Peralta had the luxury of going into the offseason knowing that he could take all of his practice reps at third base, a position which he's expected to compete with Jedd Gyorko for this spring. The Cardinals feel that the hot corner is a better fit at this stage for the soon-to-be 35-year-old, considering it requires less overall range, and also feel that Peralta's bat still has plenty to offer. After a ragged start that included a .233 average over his first 103 at-bats, Peralta bounced back after the All-Star break to slash .274/.325/.403 over his final 186 trips to the plate.

Peralta went 3-for-4 with his eighth home run, two runs scored and four RBI in Tuesday's win over the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Peralta has a five-game hitting streak and has three hits in two of those five games. After a slow start to his injury shortened season, Peralta's line is up to .259/.307/.415. The veteran shortstop is on pace for his fourth consecutive slugging percentage over .400.

Peralta went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs in Saturday's 10-4 victory over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran shortstop has started to come on as of late, now having hit safely in four of his last five contests. While Peralta has endured an injury-shortened season, he's managed to cobble together a serviceable .251/.299/.398 line over 259 at-bats, with 15 doubles, a triple, seven homers and 24 RBI.

Peralta is not in the lineup Sunday against Milwaukee.

EDGE Analysis

Peralta had a solid outing Saturday as he went 2-for-3 against the Brewers. However, with Peralta out Sunday, Matt Carpenter will move over and cover the hot corner.

Peralta is out of the lineup Monday against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Peralta had recorded just four hits in 29 at-bats over his last nine games, so it looks as though manager Mike Matheny will give the infielder an extended break. With Peralta sitting for the second time in as many days, Matt Carpenter will move over to third base to take his spot in the lineup.