JUPITER, Fla. — Granted it is very early, but new Cardinals manager Mike Matheny seems more prone to keep an extra infielder this season rather than, say, three catchers, if there was one spot open on the bench.

"I haven't given it a lot of consideration," Matheny said today. "But you look at the infield guys we have. At third base, you've got David (Freese) and you're hoping he's durable. We're cautiously optimistic, watching his feet and ankles.

"You've had hamstring issues with Raffy (Rafael Furcal) at shortstop. You've got Lance (Berkman) with the knee issues in the past, at first base. And we've got kind of a wild-card at second base.

"So, it's not exactly like you've got Cal Ripken all across the infield. We're going to have to have some flexibility there — and then there's a conscious effort to help our defense up the middle this year."

Tyler Greene, Daniel Descalso and Skip Schumaker all will contend for time at second base and veteran infielder Alex Cora, a non-roster player, also could be a factor as an infield reserve.