Jhonny Peralta's tenure with the Class A Peoria Chiefs will end on Wednesday, but his rehab assignment is poised to continue.
General manager John Mozeliak confirmed that Peralta will be transferred to the organization's Double-A affiliate in Springfield (Mo.), where he will debut on Friday. By then, Peralta will have played in five games with Peoria. Through Tuesday's game, he was 3-for-10 with a double while splitting time between shortstop and third base.
The organization will reevaluate Peralta's status after the weekend.
"He just needs to continue to build up," manager Mike Matheny said of Peralta, who underwent left thumb surgery on March 10. "He was on the phone with one of the guys when I walked past last night, and he was all excited that he got a couple hits. That's always a good thing. He was joking, asking when he was going to get called up. He knows it's just a process here, and that he'll stay with the plan and continue to check things off the list."
While Peralta's rehab assignment continues, teammate Brayan Pena is nearing the start of his own stint. For the first time since undergoing left knee surgery in April, Pena will squat and catch pitches on Thursday. He'll do other catching drills as well, and will cap the day by running the bases for the first time.
He'll repeat these exercises over the next week and, if all goes well, is likely to begin his rehab assignment around the time the Cardinals return for their next homestand.
"It's going to be a great week for me because we're going to be pushing as hard as we can," Pena said. "Be aggressive, but be smart aggressive. We don't want any setbacks."
