St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols out 4-6 weeks with arm fracture

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols will be out for 4-6 weeks with a fractured left forearm, a devastating blow for a franchise hit hard by injuries this season.

The team announced the results of an MRI and CT scan today, one day after Pujols was injured during a home game against Kansas City. The team said Pujols has a nondisplaced fracture of his left radius and his arm is in a splint.

General manager John Mozeliak was scheduled to discuss the situation later this afternoon.

Pujols is hitting .279 this year, starting to heat up after a slow start. The team said his left shoulder was sore, but no structural damage was found.

The three-time NL MVP was hurt after Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle off Cardinals starter Jamie Garcia.

Second baseman Pete Kozma backhanded the ball and made a jump-throw to first, pulling Pujols off the bag toward home. As the slugger tried for a tag, Betemit ran into his glove hand and Pujols went down to the ground in pain.