Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty returned to the team today and told reporters the reason for his absence: His mother, Gretchen, has been diagnosed with ALS.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush, it's been discussed the reason I went back was for my mom," Piscotty said. "Last Wednesday she was diagnosed with ALS, and so it was a time to get back and spend time with her.
"It just really puts life in perspective. When I got the news it was a little tough to focus, and I felt it was the right decision to go home and Mike (Matheny) was great about making that real easy.