garcia
Jaime Garcia was expected to play a key role in the Cardinals rotation. Reuters

(Reuters) - St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jaime Garcia has been removed from the team's National League Division Series roster due to rotator cuff inflammation, the Cardinals said on Tuesday.

The left-handed pitcher, who missed two months during the 2012 regular season with shoulder fatigue, was removed from the second game of the best-of-five playoff series on Monday with a shoulder injury and sent for an MRI.

Garcia threw 51 pitches in two innings, allowing two hits, three walks and one run in a 12-4 home victory over the Washington Nationals that tied the series at 1-1.

He will be replaced on the NLDS roster by 21-year-old right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller, who won his only start during the regular season.

In accordance with MLB rules, Garcia is ineligible to return for the National League Championship Series, but would be eligible for the World Series if the Cardinals advance.

(The story corrects to show Cardinals playing Washington, not San Francisco, in third paragraph.)

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto. Editing by Steve Keating.)