St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is on the injured list (IL) for the second time this season, with the same condition that kept him sidelined in spring.

The Cardinals placed Kim on the 10-day IL on Saturday (local time) with right back tightness, a day after the left-hander exited his start against the Cincinnati Reds before the start of the fourth inning.

Kim also missed time during spring training and at the start of the regular season with the back problem.

In Friday's game, Kim threw a warmup pitch to prepare for the top of the fourth inning, before signaling to the dugout that something was up. He slowly walked off the field on his own powers, accompanied by a team trainer.

Manager Mike Shildt said afterward Kim had "jarred" his back a little when he hit the first base bag hard trying to leg out a groundball in his previous at-bat in the bottom of the third inning.

"We don't think it will be hopefully too much greater than the 10 days," Shildt said. "But (the stint) is required, and it creates some opportunities for our roster."

The Cardinals' rotation already had two pitchers, Jack Flaherty (oblique) and Miles Mikolas (forearm), on the sidelines.

Kim allowed two homers and three runs in three innings before leaving Friday's game, which ended up being a 6-4 loss for the Cardinals. He is 1-4 with a 4.05 ERA in nine starts, having lost his past four straight decisions. (Yonhap)