ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams could miss the rest of the season with a strained right quadriceps and will undergo surgery Friday.

After consulting with medical personnel Wednesday, the team said Adams’ estimated recovery time was three to four months.

“Fingers crossed, if things go well maybe I’ll be able to get back by the end of the season,” Adams said after the Cardinals beat the Diamondbacks 4-3 for a three-game sweep. “It’s just something that needed to be done.”

Earlier, general manager John Mozeliak said Adams’ availability was an “open-ended question,” for what he termed a “significant” tear.

Adams said he hadn’t been told how quickly he’d be able to begin rehab after surgery.

“We’ll touch base on that after I check back in a couple days after Friday,” Adams said. “It’s a tough break, not what I wanted.”

“I want to be healthy, too.”

The injury is the latest blow for the Cardinals, who led the National League with a 30-16 record a month after losing ace Adam Wainwright to a torn left Achilles last month.

“I don’t start playing the `woe is me’ or even `we’ve had more than our share,”’ manager Mike Matheny said. “There’s no guarantees. Guys still have to perform.”

The 26-year-old Adams was injured running on a double in the fifth inning Tuesday night against Arizona and Mozeliak said the player felt a “pop” rounding first base.

“I felt something that wasn’t normal,” Adams said. “I just tightened up automatically, so I knew something wasn’t right.”

Catcher Ed Easley was recalled from Triple-A Memphis before Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks.

Adams is batting .243 with four homers and 20 RBIs. He grabbed his right hip area rounding first base after his hit off reliever Vidal Nuno and was replaced by pinch runner Mark Reynolds.

Adams felt he was just rounding into form.