photo: Tyler O’Neill (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s (Monday) series opener at the Arizona Diamondbacks that they have recalled rookie outfielder Tyler O’Neill from Memphis (AAA) and placed outfielder Dexter Fowler on the Paternity List.
O’Neill, who will join St. Louis tonight for his third recall this season, is batting .304 (56-for-184) with 19 home runs and 48 RBI in 49 games this season for Memphis. The 23-year-old outfielder has homered in four of his last five games, giving the slugger 19 overall on the season that leads Cardinals organization and ranks 2nd in the Pacific Coast League and 6th across all of Minor League Baseball. Both his .663 slugging percentage and 1.028 OPS would rank 2nd in the PCL, but O’Neill does not have enough at-bats to qualify.
O’Neill has appeared in 16 games with St. Louis this season, hitting .237 (9-for-38) with three home runs and seven RBI, while also appearing defensively at all three outfield positions.
Fowler and his wife, Aliya, are expecting the birth of their second child.
Brian Walton’s take
Normally, I would be hoping to see O’Neill start multiple games in Arizona, but Harrison Bader is most effective vs. left-handed pitching and the Cardinals will see two of them in Monday starter Robbie Ray and on Wednesday, Patrick Corbin.
Coming off an 0-for-31 stretch, Tommy Pham would have been a good candidate to sit, but the center fielder went 2-for-4 on Sunday, including a three-run home run. That almost assures his hold on the no. 2 spot in the lineup.
O’Neill may receive only selected spots to impress this week, but all of the rookie jitters should be over with by now.
With Fowler’s offensive struggles continuing through the entire first half, the veteran has lost considerable playing time to Bader. There seems no way the time away could hurt.
Since O’Neill is expected to be returned to Memphis soon, the Redbirds could go one player short this week. They do also have rehabbing shortstop Paul DeJong with them and his presence lessens the temporary loss of O’Neill’s power bat.
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