Cardinals' Matheny to have back surgery

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured disk in his back, but is expected to miss only three days of spring training.

Matheny was scheduled to be in St. Louis on Monday and return to Jupiter, Fla., no later than Thursday barring unexpected complications. In his absence, bench coach Mike Aldrete will serve as manager.

The rupture created loose particles near Matheny's spine, and those particles are creating pressure on nerves, causing pain and numbness.

Matheny had an epidural injection to see whether he could manage the pain but decided last week on surgery.