photo: Andrew Knizner (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On Sunday, July 16, the St. Louis Cardinals welcomed catcher Andrew Knizner off the injured list, with first baseman Luken Baker returned to Triple-A Memphis.
The #STLCards activated C Andrew Knizner off the 10-day IL. 1B Luken Baker optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Team going with three catchers for now (Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera).
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) July 16, 2023
The 25-year-old went on the injured list on July 5 with a right groin injury. This year, Knizner’s fifth partial year with St. Louis, the right-handed hitter is slashing .227/.254/.418/.672 in 115 plate appearances over 35 games.
Knizner is starting in St. Louis’ Sunday series finale with Washington at Busch Stadium.
Though top prospect catcher Ivan Herrera remains with St. Louis for now, finding at bats for the rookie may be a challenge, just as it was for Luken Baker…
Memphis’ best hitter in 2023 has been returned to the Redbirds after his second, short stint with St. Louis. This time up, Baker appeared in three games, all in the Miami road series during his first three days up, which began on July 3.
Baker received just one start and overall, went 1-for-5, a single, along with a walk and three strikeouts. The 26-year-old was last seen on the field in a pinch-hitting at-bat on July 5.
The right-handed hitter returns to Triple-A, where he has been very successful.
In 10 June contests at Triple-A before and after his first recall (June 4-19), Baker posted a 1.225 OPS that included hour home runs. He hit two more in his two July outings, for a then-system-best season total of 22. Baker has plated 60 runners in 64 International League games in 2023, his second year at Triple-A.
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