photo: Harrison Bader (Jim Cowsert/Imagn)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Tuesday, August 20) that they have recalled outfielder Harrison Bader from Memphis (AAA) and optioned rookie outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Triple-A club.
Bader, who appeared in 90 games with the Cardinals to begin the season, was batting .317 (20-for-63) with a 1.125 OPS, 7 home runs and 15 RBI in 16 games with Memphis. The right-handed hitting Bader, who was optioned to Memphis on July 29, had hit safely in his last nine games (.400; 14-for-35) and homered in three of his past four games.
Bader, 25, is leading Cardinals outfielders in assists (7). He was batting .195 (43-for-221) with 6 HR & 19 RBI at the time of his option.
Arozarena, 24, was purchased from Memphis on August 13 and appeared in three games (.250, 2-for-8) after debuting last Wednesday (August 14). Arozarena is batting a combined .349 with 10 HR and 42 RBI in 80 minor league games this season between Memphis (AAA) and Springfield (AA).
Brian Walton’s take
Bader did what was asked of him in Memphis, which was to get his bat going. He has earned his way back, but will he be returned to his old starting job in center field?
Arozarena and Lane Thomas (still with St. Louis) were also coming off hot hitting with the Redbirds, only to receive just eight at-bats each since Arozarena joined St. Louis. Instead, infielder Tommy Edman became a semi-regular in right, with fellow utility infielder Yairo Munoz also receiving starts in the outfield. This deployment has confused many, including this writer. If Edman returns to the infield mix, it could put additional pressure on third baseman Matt Carpenter, who has been playing daily despite being in a season-long slump.
Even if Bader starts again in center field, he may have less than two weeks to re-establish himself, with the expected returns of Tyler O’Neill and Jose Martinez from the injured list not too far away. The ability of Dexter Fowler to play either right or center alongside left fielder Marcell Ozuna offers Mike Shildt considerable additional flexibility. To suggest the manager has been creative with his outfield alignments is an understatement.
Since Arozarena was not going to play with St. Louis, he may as well finish the 2019 regular season with two more weeks of regular starts with Memphis. Even if he returns to the Cardinals when rosters expand in September, the outfield depth chart is so crowded with outfielders and non-outfielders, there is no reason to believe he will see the field much other than as a pinch runner or late-inning defensive replacement.
Even with the expected loss of Ozuna as a free agent this fall, the Cardinals will need to find some way to sort out their outfield, with nine other outfielders on the 40-man roster, excluding utility players Edman, Munoz and Drew Robinson. Top prospect Dylan Carlson is not even among the aforementioned 13.
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