The Cardinals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 13) with a non-displaced left rib fracture, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. In corresponding moves, the team selected infielder Max Moroff and moved reliever Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL.
It’s unknown how much time DeJong will miss, though the obvious hope is that this won’t potentially lead to a weeks-long absence. DeJong has again been the Cardinals’ go-to option at short, where he has started 35 of the first-place club’s 38 games. The 27-year-old has had a tough time offensively for the second straight season, though, having batted .177/.277/.371 (85 wRC+) with seven home runs in 141 plate appearances. Tommy Edman figures to get the bulk of the work at short with DeJong down, leaving second base to Matt Carpenter, Katie Woo of The Athletic tweets.
Moroff, whom the Cardinals signed to a minor league contract last winter, will get his first opportunity with the team as a result of DeJong’s injury. The 28-year-old has appeared in the majors with the Pirates and Indians, though he has slumped to a line of .183/.277/.319 (60 wRC+) with seven home runs in 244 trips to the plate. Moroff has, however, offered nice production in Triple-A ball, as his .239/.372/.413 mark with 37 home runs over 1,215 PA shows.
Hicks’ placement on the 60-day IL is another blow to St. Louis, which won’t get him back until at least July 1. It’s not out of the blue, though, as expectations were that Hicks would miss six or more weeks as of May 10. The flamethrowing right-hander, a Tommy John surgery recipient in 2019, is battling elbow issues again.