Cardinals righty Wilking Rodriguez, whom they selected from the Yankees in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery today and will miss the next four to six months, manager Oli Marmol announced to reporters (Twitter link via Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat).
The surgery likely ends Rodriguez’s season. He’ll spend the entire season on the Cardinals’ big league injured list, which won’t wipe away his Rule 5 status. The Cards will have the right to keep Rodriguez if they’re comfortable carrying him on the 40-man roster all offseason and putting him on the Opening Day roster in 2024. He’d still need 90 days on the active roster next season before he’d shed his Rule 5 designation and be eligible to be optioned to the minors.
Rodriguez, 33, is a rather remarkable story. Eight years have elapsed since his last season of affiliated ball, and it’s been nine years since his lone MLB stint with the Royals. He’s been a regular in the Venezuelan Winter League and, more recently, in the Mexican League, where he’s been particularly impressive of late. From 2021-22, Rodriguez tossed 73 innings of 2.71 ERA ball, including a 2.01 ERA and 43.2% strikeout rate in 44 2/3 frames last year.
The Yankees saw that production and signed Rodriguez to a minor league deal back in August. However, Rodriguez had so much minor league service from with the Rays, Reds, Royals and Yanks themselves from 2007-15, that he was eligible for selection when the Rule 5 Draft rolled around. The Cardinals selected him, hoping to plug Rodriguez’s power arm into the bullpen. Things won’t play out that way, and only time will tell whether the Cardinals want to carry the experiment over into the 2024 campaign. For now, Rodriguez will accrue MLB service time and pay so long as he’s on the Cardinals’ Major League disabled list.
Way to Go Mo
Good comment. The new Wow. I think this should be the obligatory first comment on every Cardinals article.
Mo & Co should have known the team needed more reinforcement to really compete at the highest level. Plugging almost every hole with little more than so-so prospects doesn’t do much more than lead to a “sinking ship” (so-to-speak) eventually.. just my opinion.
Signing a young minor league flamethrower like Guillermo Zuniga was a smart move. Taking the 33 year old rule 5 always carried more injury risk. Didn’t pay off this time but only cost them $100k.
I smell a conspiracy.
Your nose is malfunctioning.
When a rule 5 player gets “hurt”? It happens more often than you think.
Arthroscopic shoulder surgery leading to 4-6 months of recovery is hurt, not “hurt.”
I fah-ted…
I’m sure you witnessed the operation.
Keep drinking the kool aid.
You think he didn’t actually have surgery?
Just to level-set, who do you think won the 2020 election?
Dumb question. It’s the dude sitting in the White House.
If you have ever been involved in the running of a baseball team, you would know there are all kind of tricks.
I haven’t run a baseball team; if I had, I wouldn’t be wasting my time posting here. And the election question is a pretty good test of susceptibility to conspiracy theories.
You would be surprised if you really knew who reads and posts here.
Cardinals were THIS close!
(Puts thumb and forefinger a quarter-inch apart…)
Leggo Gallegos?
No horseshoes or grenades in this game, no cigars, either…
Kind of torn now, dig. Now that I’m in AZ I listen to Angels games daily.
Shohei is amazing. Still can’t believe that Mike Shannon (and now Gordon Lightfoot) has gone forward.
Another collapse by this team. When will it end?
Luckily I’m not longer upset when it happens, still waiting to be shocked when it doesn’t.
Well, Cardinals’ lifers Chris Maloney and Mike Shildt are gone. Pop Warner is next.
Saw all three of them do good jobs at AA Springfield All three of them deserved more of a crack at skippering the team than either Matheny or Marmol..
And it’s obvious to me that Jeff Ludnow, not bowtie Mozeliak, was the brains behind player draft and development in the early 2010’s.
Cards need a reset.
You’re lucky the Cards aren’t playing well or you would have the Mo Mob out here in full force to tell us all how great he is and how wrong you are. Mozeliak is and always has been replaceable. Marmol is replaceable. And I wish both would be replaced asap.
That being said the roster is much stronger on paper than the results. So unless he’s far more involved in the moment by moment decisions and motivation of the team I would say this is far more a Marmol problem than it is a Mo problem at the moment.
If they had pulled off the trade for Murphy there would be less of a log jam in the outfield and the players remaining would have more consistent playing time and the ability to work through the slumps. The way they are being deployed is an issue because they are all talented. The loss of Donovan would have hurt, but having someone behind the plate that can call a game and frame pitches better than what we have and still hit like Murphy can would have been huge. They could have extended Murphy like Atlanta did and still had money left to purchase the rights to at least another relief option of note. I feel like Oli is more of a mouth for Mo in the dugout than what Shilt was. Calling out Oneil in the media was a dick move and not the cardinal way, but I still think this is a front office issue more so than a talent or even manager one. If Mo goes though Oli is out as well.
The Contreras signing was not what Cardinals fans were looking for at all. He’s an adequate hitter, but not regarded as a great defender or game caller. Something will absolutely need to change because this team is too talented for a fire sale and it’s also not constructed like a fire sale team. Likewise, the DeWitt’s are not going to be happy about spending this kind of money while seeing such poor results. That’s the one thing we can hang our hat on. This organization will hold someone accountable. It’s not like the White Sox where once you’re Reinsdorf’s guy you have a job for life.
I’m not the type of guy who holds that kind of stuff against another fan, bronx, I never have been. I’ll always love the same team, but that doesn’t mean everyone should. You’re right, Ohtani is an extraordinary player. I wonder how much he’ll get in FA. He’s the kind of player that could make any team at least a little better. And yessir, time sure does travel fast. Hopefully, both of those fellas are in a better place.
As you may remember, dig, I’ve lived, and seen baseball, in five US time zones. I’ve actually now seen more Yankees games in the last 30 years outside of NY than within. When I lived in SD, and was a season tix guy, the Cards, Cubs, Yanks and Bosox all sold-out. I love great baseball, whoever plays it and wherever it’s played. And I do believe most Cards fans feel the same way. – and are renowned for doing so.
I do love the game, sincerely, but I’m past the point of giving the game any more of my life than I already have, besides for the one team I have loved all my life. Sounds like you’ve had an exciting life, bronx, and I’m happy for you. I’ve never seen a game outside of StL.
If logistics permits, check out the Springfield (AA) Cards. Nice venue, reasonable prices, and not a bad seat in the house.
10-21
.323
Last place.
Worst record in the National League.
Trading off Tommy Edman to save Ollie Marmol and John Mozeliak from all of their mistakes is insane!!!