La Russa misses game for eye exams

ST. LOUIS, May 10 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa will miss the rest of the team's current road trip for medical reasons, the club said Tuesday.

Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said earlier in the day La Russa was unable to be with the team for a game Tuesday because of an eye problem. La Russa was at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and would not be able to get to Chicago in time for a game against the Chicago Cubs, the GM said.

Late Tuesday, the team said the decision for La Russa to miss the remainder of the current road trip was made "after consulting with St. Louis Cardinals team doctors and Mayo Clinic physicians."

"It has been decided it would be best for … La Russa to take the remainder of this current road trip off in order to allow for rest and for his medication to take effect," the statement said.

La Russa's medical condition was not discussed in the statement; however the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said he was suffering from a painful case of shingles.

The 66-year-old manager has been dealing with "an affliction to his face and right eye" for several weeks and has undergone a series of examinations, a statement from the team said. The ailment was diagnosed in April as conjunctivitis and the condition has persisted, it said.

Bench coach Joe Pettini will serve as acting manager during the road swing that runs through Sunday.