- The Cardinals have called up Seth Elledge from Memphis, per MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (via Twitter). The move comes as a response to Kodi Whitley being placed on the 10-day injured list because of mild back spasms. St. Louis also signed southpaw Tyler Pike to a minor league contract, according to their transactions log on MLB.com.
Cardinals Rumors
Cardinals Notes: Trades, Miller, DeJong, Bedell
“Opportunities at the margins are sometimes available in the near term. Opportunities to make…more significant changes are rarely going to happen until six to eight weeks from now,” Cardinals GM Michael Girsch told Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and other reporters earlier this week. In short, it doesn’t appear too likely that the Cards will be swinging any notable trades in the near future. As Jones notes, the club hasn’t really made any win-now types of deadline moves in recent seasons, and it remains to be seen if the Cards will change course by July 30 of this year.
St. Louis entered Sunday in first place in the NL Central, in a tight race with the Cubs and Brewers. There is certainly room for upgrades on the Cardinals’ roster, with Jones pointing out that (in particular) the bullpen is lacking depth beyond Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos, and Alex Reyes. Adding another middle relief type wouldn’t necessarily count as a headline-grabbing move, and by that same token, a team that’s already in “seller mode” might be more willing to part with a reliever now rather than wait until closer to July 30.
More from the Gateway City…
- Some bullpen help could come from within, as Andrew Miller could be activated from the 10-day injured list this week. The target date may be Thursday for the start of the Cardinals’ series with the Reds, as manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Guerrero) that wants at least one more Triple-A rehab outing. Miller has been on the IL since April 29 due to a blister on his right foot.
- Paul DeJong’s return date is less certain, as Shildt told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other reporters yesterday that the shortstop will require a rehab assignment before getting back to the field. A non-displaced left rib fracture sent DeJong to the injured list in the middle of May, and the nature of the injury has kept the Cardinals from pushing too hard: “A non-displaced fracture become a fracture if we don’t take care of it,” Shildt said. DeJong has, at least, been able to take some grounders.
- Pitching prospect Ian Bedell underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this week, as Bedell revealed himself on his Instagram page. The University Of Missouri product was a fourth-round pick for St. Louis in the 2020 draft, so his first minor league season was already canceled by the pandemic, and Bedell only appeared in two games for high-A Peoria before being sidelined with injury. Given the 13-15 month recovery timeline associated with Tommy John procedures, Bedell might face a bit of a squeeze in getting back on the mound before the end of the 2022 minor league season.
Latest Cardinals Roster Moves
The Cardinals made a number of roster moves today, as reported by MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (Twitter links). Counter to yesterday’s report that Jose Rondon would be released to participate on Venezuela’s Olympic team, Rondon instead has had his contract selected to join the Cardinals’ Major League roster. Rondon last appeared in the Majors in 2019. He owns a .206/.260/.336 line across 290 career plate appearances with the Orioles, Padres, and White Sox.
The Cardinals are adding Rondon as a response to Max Moroff suffering left shoulder subluxation, an injury that will land him on the 10-day injured list. Moroff was just 1-for-16 in six games this season.
In other moves, Junior Fernandez has been recalled from Triple-A, while Johan Oviedo has been optioned to Triple-A, though he will remain with the team on the taxi squad, per the team. Fernandez was just optioned yesterday, but he’s able to re-join the team because of the Moroff injury. The 24-year-old has just two appearances this season covering 3 2/3 innings.
Oviedo, meanwhile, has appeared five times, starting four games. He has posted a 5.40 ERA/6.02 FIP across 20 innings with a 47.4 percent groundball rate, 17.4 percent strikeout rate and 16.3 percent walk rate. The Cardinals will want to see significant improvement from Oviedo in those strikeout and walk rates, though with just 20 innings, we’re still in the small sample size category for the 23 year old.
Cardinals To Re-Evaluate Miles Mikolas In 4-6 Weeks
Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas left his start on May 22 with forearm tightness, leading to concerns that he would need Tommy John surgery. That won’t be the case, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat was among those to report, but the Cardinals will have to go without Mikolas for the foreseeable future. Mikolas received a stem cell injection to address calcification in his flexor tendon, and he’ll be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.
The Cards expect Mikolas to pitch again this season, per Jones, but the recovery timeline suggests he’s a long way from taking the mound again. Even if he’s ready to go four to six weeks from now, Mikolas will still need time to build his arm strength back up, meaning St. Louis might not see him until sometime in July or August. The team has already gone almost the whole season without Mikolas, who made just the one start and lasted four innings. He missed all of 2020 after undergoing flexor tendon surgery and began this season behind schedule because of shoulder problems.
The Cardinals signed Mikolas, now 32, to a four-year, $68MM extension in 2019 after what looked like a breakout campaign in the previous season. Mikolas was effective again that year, but the deal didn’t kick in until last season. So, because of the injuries that have hampered Mikolas, the gamble hasn’t gone in the Cardinals’ favor at all thus far. He’s under their control through 2023 at annual salaries of $15.75MM.
Even without Mikolas, the Cardinals made the playoffs in 2020, and the National League Central leaders are on pace to do so again this year. The Cardinals’ starters rank a respectable 11th in the majors in ERA (3.63), though the group – largely Jack Flaherty, Kwang-hyun Kim, Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martínez and John Gant – has been closer to middle of the pack with respect to peripheral numbers.
Cardinals Place Harrison Bader On IL With Fractured Rib
The Cardinals announced Tuesday that center fielder Harrison Bader is headed to the 10-day injured list after being diagnosed with a hairline fracture on one of his ribs. Bader exited last night’s game in the third inning after very nearly making an outstanding diving catch on a sinking liner off the bat of Nick Madrigal (video link). However, he ultimately landed with his ribcage on the baseball after it kicked off the heel of his glove. The Cardinals have recalled first baseman/outfielder John Nogowski to take his spot on the active roster.
Bader’s placement on the IL comes at a time when the Cardinals’ outfield depth is already compromised. Tyler O’Neill is on the shelf with a fractured finger at the moment, while Triple-A outfielders Austin Dean and Scott Hurst were both recently placed on the injured list. That slate of injuries likely shifts Dylan Carlson over to center field, with a combination of Justin Williams, Lane Thomas and Nogowski seeing action in the corners.
This is the second IL stint already on the young season for Bader, who opened the season on the shelf due to a forearm injury. He’s gotten out to a .219/.301/.411 start to his season through 83 plate appearances. It’s the same blend of low batting average and decent power we’ve seen from Hader in recent years, but with a greatly reduced strikeout rate standing out as a key difference. Bader entered the 2021 season with a career 29.1 percent punchout rate, but he’s fanned just 13 times in his 83 trips (15.7 percent).
Bader’s contact rate has also improved in 2021, while both his swinging-strike rate and called-strike rate have declined. At least through his first 22 games, he’s looked to have a better recognition of the strike zone and given some inklings that the drop in strikeouts is legitimate. Should that prove to be the case, it’s quite likely his overall batting line will tick up. He’s currently being plagued by a .211 average on balls in play that is nearly 100 points lower than his career mark. He’s also making less hard contact than in recent seasons, so it’s not all good news, but the generally improved approach is certainly still of note.
Latest On Andrew Miller
- Cardinals southpaw reliever Andrew Miller will begin a rehab stint Tuesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat tweets. St. Louis will have a better idea of a return date later this week. The Cardinals have gone since April 29 without Miller, whom they sent to the IL with a right foot issue. The once-marvelous Miller, 36, got off to a tough start this year with 7 1/3 innings of 12-hit, seven-run pitching and eight strikeouts against four walks before going on the IL.
Cardinals Place Miles Mikolas On 10-Day IL Due To Forearm Tightness
MAY 24: Mikolas will visit Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday for a second opinion, Jones tweets.
MAY 23: Mikolas has been placed on the 10-day injured list, the Cardinals announced. Right-hander Junior Fernandez was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
MAY 22, 9:38 pm: Mikolas is headed for an MRI tonight, manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat).
8:03 pm: Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas left this evening’s start against the Cubs before the fifth inning after a visit from the trainer. The team later announced he was removed with right forearm tightness. Daniel Ponce de Leon was called on to replace him.
Mikolas’ start today marked his return to a big league mound for the first time in nineteen months. He missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm. Expected to return at the start of this year, Mikolas ultimately wound up delayed nearly two months by a shoulder issue. Any pitcher exiting in the middle of a start with forearm tightness is concerning, since that can often be a precursor to Tommy John surgery. Given Mikolas’ recent injury history, it’s especially alarming.
The 32-year-old did make three successful rehab starts with Triple-A Memphis before getting back on a big league mound. In this evening’s game, Mikolas’ fastball was in the 89-92 MPH range, topping out at 92.7 MPH. That’s below the 93-94 MPH he averaged on his heater in 2018-19, although it hadn’t seemed particularly surprising his velocity would be down a bit given his long layoff from pitching.
The Cardinals already had a five-man starting staff of Jack Flaherty, Kwang-hyun Kim, Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martínez and John Gant before Mikolas’ return. If this latest issue ends up forcing him back to the injured list, those players figure to continue taking the ball every fifth day.
Cardinals Activate Miles Mikolas From Injured List
The Cardinals have activated Miles Mikolas off the 10-day injured list, and the right-hander will start against the Cubs tonight. Righty Seth Elledge was sent to Triple-A to open up a 26-man roster spot for Mikolas.
October 11, 2019 marked the last time Mikolas appeared in a big league game, as he allowed one run over six innings in Game 1 of the 2019 NLCS. Flexor tendon surgery caused Mikolas to miss the entire 2020 season, and then shoulder problems delayed his return until today.
This isn’t the first time Mikolas’ Major League career has been interrupted, as he headed to Japan following the 2014 season and revived his stock with three outstanding seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. After signing a two-year, $15.5MM deal with the Cardinals in the 2017-18 offseason, Mikolas took that new form back into MLB, finishing sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2018.
That success led to another contract with St. Louis, as Mikolas signed a four-year extension worth $68MM. Since that extension started with the 2020 season, however, Mikolas has yet to throw even a single pitch since that new deal kicked in, making it a questionable investment to date for the Cards’ front office. Still, there is plenty of time for Mikolas to still deliver, and his return should further bolster the Cardinals’ pitching staff.
Jack Flaherty, Kwang Hyun Kim, and John Gant have all been very solid for the Cards this season, while Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright have been a little more inconsistent. St. Louis plans to use a six-man rotation for the time being, unless plans change due to other injuries.
Cardinals Activate Carlos Martinez From 10-Day IL
- The Cardinals announced that Carlos Martinez has been activated from the 10-day injured list, and the righty will start tonight’s game against the Cubs. Martinez was (retroactively) placed on the IL with a right ankle injury on May 9, so he’ll end up missing only slightly more than the minimum 10 days. Martinez has managed a 4.35 ERA over 41 1/3 innings this season despite one of the game’s lowest strikeout rates (12.6%) and a very unflattering set of Statcast numbers.
Tyler O'Neill Day-To-Day With Sprained Finger
- Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill is day-to-day after suffering a sprained left middle finger in tonight’s 5-3 St. Louis loss to the Padres. O’Neill hurt his finger while stealing second base in the sixth inning, and remained in the field for the bottom half of the inning before being replaced prior to the bottom half of the seventh. O’Neill has already spent time on the injured list due to a groin injury this season, and he has hit .250/.290/.530 with eight home runs over 107 PA. Despite the low OBP and an ungainly 32.7% strikeout rate, O’Neill has been an overall productive (122 wRC+) hitter thanks to his big power and a lot of hard contact. The defending Gold Glove winner is also still providing very solid defense in left field.
