Jason Isringhausen Goes on the Disabled List, but Is He Hurt? - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

After yesterday's fiasco against the Pirates, the Cardinals HAD to do something about Jason Isringhausen. It seemed like the choices were going to be an outright release or to DFA him and hope he accepted a demotion to AAA. Instead, they placed him on the disabled list with either a week-old cut on his hand or an arthritic hip that he's been cleared to pitch with, depending on which story you believe. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"They found some infection [in the hand]," Cards manager Tony La Russa said when asked about Izzy's injury. "There's an issue there and it affects his grip some, but that definitely is not what anybody is pointing at as his problem. It's an irritation. He would not have been available for a few days."

The move to disable Isringhausen, La Russa said, is "being realistic. It's being creative."

It is being creative, but that's not going to help the Cardinals any. I assume the reason behind this move is to allow Isringhausen to make a few "rehab" appearances, which will let him pitch in the minors without having to DFA him, but I think his problems run a lot deeper than something that a few AAA appearances can fix. I guess that's a bridge the Cardinals will cross when they reach it.