Dilson Herrera suffered a right quadriceps strain that might have ended his season Saturday.ATLANTA -- If Dilson Herrera's season is over, and it might well be after he suffered a strained right quadriceps Saturday at Turner Field, Terry Collins came away impressed with the 20-year-old infielder’s showing at the major league level.

“I like a lot about Dilson Herrera,” Collins said after Herrera departed in the sixth inning of a 4-2 win against the Atlanta Braves. “Like all the people have told me about him: He’s going to be a very good player. It’s just a matter of getting some games under his belt at 20 years old and getting some experience at the higher levels. But I like him a lot. I like the way he swings the bat. He’s gotten better defensively. And I’ve told [infield coach Tim] Teuf[el], with a little, brief time on Field 3 [in spring training], he’ll be a lot better.”

Herrera said the muscle had not been bugging him before he felt it pull while running full throttle to first base on an infield single in the sixth.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but I felt something, so that’s what I told the trainers,” Herrera said through an interpreter.

Still, with only seven games left, and given the nature of leg injuries, it is entirely conceivable Herrera is done for the season.

He has hit .220 (13-for-59) with three homers and 11 RBIs since he joined the club from Double-A Binghamton. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer Saturday before departing.

“We’ll see how he is in a couple of days, but certainly you’ve got to be very careful with those -- any of those leg injuries,” Collins said. “It’s too bad.”

In Herrera’s absence, and with David Wright already done for the season with a left rotator-cuff injury, Collins intends to leave Daniel Murphy at third base and deploy Wilmer Flores at second base and Ruben Tejada at shortstop -- the least disruption from recent lineups.

One alternative would have been using Murphy back at second base, Flores at third base and Tejada at shortstop. Another option: Murphy at second base, Eric Campbell at third base and Flores at shortstop.

“I’m probably going to leave well enough the way they are,” Collins said. “You’re asking now Wilmer to go to third base, and he hasn’t played third base in who knows how long. And Dan has been going out there, and he’s the one who raised his hand and said, ‘I’ll go to third base.’ Now all of a sudden, you’re jerking him around and putting him back at second. So I’m not going to do that.”