Matt Carpenter Back on Cardinals Injured List

photo: Matt Carpenter (Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)

St. Louis Cardinals press release

Matt Carpenter (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s game (Tuesday, July 16), that they have placed infielder Matt Carpenter (right foot contusion) on the 10-day Injured List and recalled rookie infielder Edmundo Sosa from Memphis (AAA).

Carpenter injured his foot during the 7th inning of last night’s game when he fouled off a pitch.

Edmundo Sosa (Steve Mitchell/Imagn)

Sosa, 23, appeared in three games for the Cardinals last September (0-for-2), making his Major League debut on Sept. 23, 2018 as a pinch-hitter.  He played one inning in the field (2nd base) following his promotion last season.

The right-handed batting Sosa was batting .252 (78-for-309) with 10 home runs and 34 RBI in 83 games for Memphis this season, playing 49 games at shortstop, 17 at second base and 15 at third base.

The 6-0, 205-pound Sosa, a native of Panama, was signed by the Cardinals as an international free agent on July 2, 2012 and has been part of championship teams at both Memphis (2018) and Palm Beach (2017).

Carpenter becomes the seventh Cardinals player currently on the Injured List, along with regulars Yadier Molina and Marcell Ozuna.

Sosa wears uniform no. 63.


Brian Walton’s take

Carpenter, who is in a season-long slump, played in just four games after coming off the IL on Friday. He sat out eight games (June 29-July 11) due to a back problem.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, manager Mike Shildt expressed optimism about Carpenter’s return.

Though Sosa is the immediate roster replacement, primary playing time for Carpenter at third base is likely to be shared between Yairo Muñoz and Tommy Edman. The latter made the start on Tuesday night and is also in Carpenter’s leadoff position in the batting order.

Sosa, The Cardinal Nation’s 19th-ranked prospect, is a notorious hot and cold hitter. June was good, as 13 of his 31 hits went for extra bases, including five home runs. His OPS was .937. However, July is another story. He is just 7-for-46 with a slash line of .152/.170/.283/.453.

In 2019, the 23-year old is in his final minor league option season. With the emergence of Edman, joining the pre-arbitration Munoz as reserves behind long-term contract holders Carpenter, Kolten Wong and Paul DeJong, Sosa’s path to a full-time roster spot with St. Louis remains cloudy.


For more

To track the 25- and 40-man rosters as well as all players in the system by position and level, check out the Roster Matrix, always free and updated here at The Cardinal Nation. Also included is every player transaction across the full organization all year long.


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