Injury Will Sideline Clark Until September

The St. Louis Cardinals said Wednesday surgery will be required for a ligament tear in first baseman Jack Clark’s right thumb, and he won’t play again until September.

Jim Toomey, a club spokesman, said Clark’s “right hand will be immobilized for six weeks, followed by three-to-four weeks of rehabilitation. That takes us up to the second week of September.”

Clark hurt the thumb in Tuesday night’s 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh. He was making a head-first slide into third base as he tried to advance on an error with two out in the fifth inning.

Clark was batting .237 with 9 home runs and 23 RBIs in 65 games this season, far off his pace of last season when he played a big role in the Cardinals’ drive to the National League pennant.

Clark batted .281 with 22 homers and 87 RBIs last season. He hit .381 in the National League playoffs against the Dodgers, including a game-winning home run off Tom Niedenfuer in Game 6 which put the Cardinals in the World Series.