Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said the probability that Rafael Furcal (elbow) will be ready for Opening Day is "a longshot." It was pretty obvious following Furcal's recent setback that he wouldn't be at shortstop on Opening Day, but it's nice to get some clarity straight from the GM's mouth. Furcal was examined Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta and will get a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. It's usually ominous when someone is sent to Dr. Andrews, but Mozeliak said that Furcal won't necessarily need surgery. Mo expects to have "finality" of Furcal's situation by "mid- to late week."

Rafael Furcal is slated to get a second opinion on his ailing right elbow from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday. Furcal was examined Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta, but the Cardinals aren't expected to make an announcement about his status until after he meets with Andres. The veteran shortstop was diagnosed with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament last August, but decided to rehab the injury rather than undergo Tommy John surgery. However, he is back to the drawing board now that the discomfort hasn't subsided.

Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said that Rafael Furcal had an MRI Friday that showed his elbow is inflamed but indicated no tear in the ligament. Furcal will be examined again on Monday by team medical director Dr. George Paletta. The shortstop resisted Tommy John surgery last August, but it's possible he'll have to reconsider if further testing reveals that his ligament is compromised. Furcal has also dealt with a bone spur in the elbow. The Cards will use Ronny Cedeno and Pete Kozma at shortstop while Furcal is on the shelf.

Rafael Furcal said Saturday that his elbow is "not getting better," and he's not sure if he'll be ready to play on Opening Day. Furcal, who is dealing with a torn ligament and also more recently a bone spur in the elbow, began to feel worse as he ramped up his throwing program this past week. The bone spur had been giving him more issues, but apparently it's the ligament that is now again the major problem. He has been shut down from throwing and hitting for an undetermined amount of time. "What do you want me to do?" Furcal said. "It's not getting better. I wish I could do whatever I could to make it better, so I could play." It's looking more and more like Ronny Cedeno will be the Cardinals' Opening Day shortstop, though he'd probably share the position with Pete Kozma.

Rafael Furcal (elbow) is not in the Cardinals' lineup Saturday.

Rafael Furcal reported no ill effects with his elbow Tuesday, a day after he took some swings from the left side of the plate. The switch-hitter had been limited to swinging from the right side. Furcal still isn't close to 100 percent, but he's improving enough that he could test out his elbow in the field by the end of the week.

Rafael Furcal (elbow) said he's "progressing well" and could play the field in games by this weekend.

Two days after getting an anti-inflammatory shot for his elbow, Rafael Furcal went 0-for-2 from the DH spot on Sunday. Furcal is limited to batting right-handed at the moment and was only going to get the one at-bat against Jon Lester, but he did get to bat a second time after the Red Sox brought in another lefty in reliever Andrew Miller. Furcal's status for Opening Day figures to remain up in the air for several weeks.

Rafael Furcal received an anti-inflammatory shot in his right elbow Friday. That right elbow remains a concern for Furcal and the Cardinals. Furcal, 35, tore a ligament in the elbow late in the 2012 season that kept him out the final two months, including the playoffs. As a result of the treatment, Furcal will not play in the field or bat left-handed until the pain subsides. His status for Opening Day is still uncertain.

Rafael Furcal served as the DH during an intersquad game on Friday, and recorded two hits in his three trips to the plate. Furcal is still experiencing pain in his surgically-repaired right elbow, and will be limited to DH duty once he is finally able to play in Grapefruit League games. They'll continue to limit his exposure while he rehabs the injury, and looks unlikely to be ready by Opening Day.