Cardinals' Stephen Piscotty could play again in regular season, team says

Cardinals outfielder Stephen Piscotty was released from the hospital Tuesday, one day after a violent outfield collision with teammate Peter Bourjos that appeared to leave him unconscious. St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak is optimistic Piscotty will return to the lineup before the regular season ends Sunday.

All scans of Piscotty's head, neck and face to check for fractures or other damage were negative. He was diagnosed with a concussion, which Mozeliak called "amazing."

MORE: 10 greatest St. Louis Cardinals of all time | Adam Wainwright to join Cardinals' bullpen for stretch run

Piscotty will have to go through MLB's protocol by taking an exam on Thursday. If he's cleared, he could return to the lineup soon after.

"I think the good news is he will probably play again in the regular season," Mozeliak said, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "There’s no reason to speculate (when) at this moment. The ultimate decision will be how he feels and what he wants to do as well. The game is about feel and timing, (so) it makes sense to get him in when he feels up to it, and I think we’ll do that."

Piscotty was motionless on the grass for several moments after his collision with Bourjos on Monday.

Scary moment in Pittsburgh, as Cardinals rookie Stephen Piscotty was carted off after a collision with a teammate: http://t.co/bSZCY6eAY9

— ESPN (@espn) September 29, 2015

Piscotty was carted off the field after his neck was placed in a brace. The team initially said he had suffered a head contusion.

Mozeliak was pleasantly surprised by Piscotty's condition when he visited him in the hospital.

"I had no idea what to expect when we got there," Mozeliak said. "And to see him with the energy and the fact that he had an appetite. He was willing to talk about the events of the evening — that was really amazing. It was such a scary moment. I think everybody had a lot of things going through their minds. Most people are probably thinking the worst. To have him be the way he was is very lucky. When you have youth and health on your side it’s a good thing."