ST. LOUIS -- Jose Oquendo announced that he will be undergoing right knee replacement surgery next month, which will preclude him from returning to the Cardinals' coaching staff this season.
The Cardinals granted Oquendo a leave of absence late in Spring Training so that the veteran third-base coach and infield instructor could focus on rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee at his home in Jupiter, Fla. He traveled to St. Louis this week to follow up with the Cardinals' team doctor, who confirmed that a knee replacement is now necessary.
That diagnosis extinguished any hope the Cardinals had of getting Oquendo back in uniform before the end of the year.