The Cardinals announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game. Outfielder Randal Grichuk and lefty Zach Duke were both activated from the 10-day and 60-day DL, respectively, while catcher Carson Kelly was recalled from Triple-A. Righty Sam Tuivailala and outfielder Magneuris Sierra were optioned to Triple-A last night to open up two roster spots, and catcher Eric Fryer was designated for assignment today in another corresponding move.
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Fryer signed a minor league deal with St. Louis this winter and has hit .155/.277/.197 over 83 PA serving as Yadier Molina’s backup. This is Fryer’s second stint with the Cards, having originally joined the club on another minors deal in the 2015-16 offseason and then spending part of last season with the Pirates after being claimed off waivers.
Kelly, a consensus top-100 prospect in baseball, will replace Fryer in the backup catcher role. Kelly made his big league debut last year, a 14-plate appearance cup of coffee that saw him appear in 10 games for the Cardinals. The 23-year-old Kelly has only added to his lofty prospect status by hitting well in his first full season at Triple-A, batting .283/.375/.459 over 280 PA.
With Molina freshly signed to an extension though the 2020 season and Kelly seemingly ready for an extended look in the big leagues, it is possible that this callup could be Kelly’s audition for teams interested in a trade for the young catcher. He would certainly be a major trade chip for a Cards team that may be looking to land some controllable but established MLB talent for 2018, or even still make a run at the NL Central.
Grichuk returns after a brief stay on the disabled list due to a back strain. He’ll add depth to a Cardinals outfield that is still missing Stephen Piscotty, though Grichuk is still looking for consistency during a disappointing 2017 season that has included a minor league demotion. Grichuk has continued to struggle since returning from the minors, and is batting just .215/.270/.408 in 241 PA.
Remarkably, Duke is back in action after undergoing Tommy John surgery just over nine months ago, far outpacing the procedure’s usual recovery timeline of 12-15 months. Duke has posted strong numbers as a reliever for the Cards, Brewers, White Sox and Reds over the last four seasons, and he’ll join Brett Cecil, Kevin Siegrist and Tyler Lyons as left-handed options out of the St. Louis bullpen. With this much lefty depth on hand, the Cards could potentially shop one of their southpaws to needy teams at the deadline.
Cards making moves, I would have sent down Jose Martinez instead of Sierra
They wouldn’t have called up Sierra in the first place if they weren’t expecting him to go back down soon. As for Martinez, he’ll likely be sent down once Piscotty returns in a few days.
dfa martinez
Why? He’s a decent bench bat and still has options remaining.
well… that is our savior in Duke form.
He can’t be worse than Cecil though…
I don’t think they need him right now, but it would be entertaining if Fryer will continue the St Louis to Pittsburgh shuttle.
Now you did it! You just jinxed Cervelli, Stewart, and Diaz! Torches ready to be lit and pitch forks by the door. We will be out tracking you down!
The Cards have to keep Grichuk; he is an allstar in the making. You can’t make talent.
“he is an allstar in the making.”
“You can’t make talent.”
Which one is it?
Seems to me like he’s just not that good once pitchers adjusted to him.
At this point, Grichuk’s talent is too inconsistent. If he doesn’t show some improvement, he’s going to wind up on the bench next year behind an outfield of Pham, Fowler, and Piscotty.
He can go be an all star somewhere else. I’m over Grichuk.
So are the Cardinals showcasing Kelly? Regardless of their chances this year, it seems to me that theyre really going to go after Donaldson
Personally, I think they’d be better off trading for bullpen help. The infield is much better now that Dejong has stabilized SS and Wong is back from the DL to take over at 2B.
I think Sierra got optioned to Double A not Triple A.
It’s nice to have Duke back, but why did they send down Tuivailala?! He’s been one of their best relievers this year! Brebbia should’ve been the one sent down.
(Although Brebbia’s also been good, Tuivailala’s been better, and those are the only two guys in the bullpen with options remaining, while none of the others have been terrible enough to suggest being designated for assignment at this point.)
Not sure how you can say Tuivailala has been better, Brebbia’s stats are all better than Tui’s.
I was thinking that Brebbia had been doing it in a smaller sample size, but he’s actually pitched a little more MLB innings this season?! What the heck?! I know Tuivailala has spent more time on the MLB roster this season. This is just further proof of how badly Tuivailala has been screwed over by Matheny this year, who should’ve been made a setup man if not the closer over a month ago.
*said in Trump voice* WRONG
“With Molina freshly signed to an extension though the 2020 season”.
I think you forgot the ‘r’.
I hope they don’t move Kelly in any deal.
I don’t think the Cardinals will trade him. He’s the future and they let the back up catcher go
I hope they don’t trade away the heir apparent to molina. love yadi, but no way he continues playing at this rate through 2020.
We need to put use some Bryce Harper voodoo on Kelly and turn him into a RF or 1B.
No way.. he was a 3B when drafted turned into a catcher… won a minor league gold glove.. hardly doubt they try to change his position again.
I like Grichuk, I think he was the best player in that trade with the Angels. But with the Cards getting O’Neil I think trading Grichuk would be the smart move, he’s just been so inconsistent, he can field and he has a lot of raw power but he’s to streaky. If the Cards don’t trade Randal then I see them Trading a outfielder, Piscotty, Pham, or Bader
Piscotty and his long term contract aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Grichuk on the other hand very well could be moved over the offseason with Pham having essentially passed him on the depth chart and guys like Bader, O’Neil, and Sierra knocking at the door.
They need to bring Mark Montgomery up and see if he is for real. His peripherals and his baseball card numbers all look pretty good. I don’t know if they should DFA Oh or not, but they need to try something
They did. They activated Zach Duke.
who’s Zach Duke, i’m a cardinals fan and i never heard of him. oh was he that guy who threw out the first pitch… and was never heard of again.