The Cardinals have announced that center fielder Dexter Fowler will go on the 10-day DL with a wrist strain. His spot on the active roster will be taken by outfield prospect Harrison Bader, who earns his first MLB promotion, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested was in the works.
It’s not known at present how serious an injury it is for Fowler, who as Goold notes has dealt with a few maladies of late. The veteran is obviously a key cog for St. Louis; his loss comes as the club weighs its trade deadline options with a four-game deficit in the NL Central.
Prior indications were that Bader would only be recalled if he would be presented with a relatively extended opportunity for playing time. Just how long of a run he’ll receive will surely depend upon Fowler’s progress and Bader’s play. The new addition could conceivably claim playing time even once Fowler returns, though the Cards will surely continue to allow Tommy Pham to receive regular time and also have other options including Randal Grichuk, Jose Martinez, and Stephen Piscotty (who’s working back from the DL at present).
Entering the year, Bader was seen as a consensus top-ten organizational prospect. He stands at sixth among Cards’ youngsters in MLB.com’s most recent ranking. A former third-round draft pick, Bader has turned in a quality effort at Triple-A thus far, slashing.297/.354/.517 with 19 home runs.
To open a 40-man spot, the Cards have released outfielder Chad Huffman. The 32-year-old had received a brief MLB call-up earlier this year but spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .247/.386/.437 batting line in 215 trips to the plate.
