Clay Holmes was on the mound for the visitors. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. The organization was patient: In 2020 he suffered a bout of COVID-19 during the already-condensed pandemic season, and in 2021 broke a rib after being hit by a pitch in mid-May. Lets look at his AAA season to see if we can find a glimmer of hope in his tiny sample size of 40 plate appearances. I dont think its a bad thing for him to pull the ball more. He homered in the second game of the year, and then only had two extra-base hits both doubles the rest of the month. It could be that Edman -- who returned to camp on Wednesday when South Korea did not advance out of WBC pool play -- returns at shortstop before DeJong takes the field. His HR/FB rate was 25%. I thought Clay threw the ball a lot better and was in command of what he was doing, for the most part.". Its probably a combination of all three. We cant if Tommys at second, and we dont want to just move Tommy over there without a strategic plan for that transition.. Ranking the 10 worst contracts in the National League Central. However, I remain skeptical that the changes he says hes made will have any significant impact on his performance at the Major League level over the long haul. That K rate is your soapbox. Video by Derrick Goold. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. We wont send you spam. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong talks with the media at the Winter Warm-Up. Its a lot of F-dash-fill in the blank, Marmol said, referring to the scoring of the abundance of lazy flyouts that have resulted lately off DeJongs bat. To create space for DeJong on the 26-man roster, Taylor Motter was designated for assignment. This doesnt mean the Cardinals will not call up Gorman. last time Flaherty took the mound for the Cardinals, he threw a season-high six innings and allowed a season-high four runs on four hits against Arizona on April 17. While in AAA, DeJong was up and down, displaying the same kinds of traits he has had for years in the majors with the added production bump from facing exclusively minor league arms. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Thats worrisome. Wainwright made a rehab appearance on Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and completed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Undoubtedly, DeJong's 2018 and 2019 seasons with the club were his best. dark. This was dubbed a critical spring for DeJong, coming off a season in which the 2019 All-Star hit .157 and spent more than two months at Triple-A Memphis. His expected slugging percentage (.268) didnt fare much better, coming in at the bottom 2 percent. His 2024 team also has a club option on him for 2025 worth $15 million. He batted just .223 but found his power again, popping nine home runs and posting an .820 OPS. Cardinals Insider Provides Positive Adam Wainwright Update. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. He is then expected to advance through light throwing. Thats a recipe for the debacle we saw in 21 and 22 when the only thing that kept DeJong alive was very good defense, the memory of better days, and the contract he signed back when. The past did not dictate the present. Move up in the box, back in the box, sideways in the box, and erase the box with their foot before standing on the plate. DeJong went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and six RBIs on Friday for Memphis, boosting his batting average to .353 and his OPS to 1.068 in nine games. Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. "I'm just really happy to be back here and contributing the way that I am.". Weve seen BABIP-fueled power surges from him before. And have you gotten ample amount of playing time to be prepared when called upon? Mozeliak said from T-Mobile Park on Saturday before the Cardinals faced the Mariners. They didn't quite have in mind the . She is a graduate of Arizona State University and originates from Northern California. Thats not asking that much of him. That certainly didnt base that decision on performance. During his rehab assignment, Paul DeJong (back) batted .302 and produced a .900 OPS in 12 games between Class Low-A and Class AAA. 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THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. DeJongs LD% in AAA this season was over 40%. The veteran shortstop rejoined the team on its taxi squad Friday in the nation's capital, following a 2 1/2-month demotion to Triple-A Memphis. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong strikes out with two men on base to end the seventh inning against the Padres on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022 at Petco Park in San Diego. Then, when Sosa was moved, DeJong returned to the majors to give it another go. When the St. Louis Cardinals optioned Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis, the domino effect immediately followed. 2023 COLD WIRE MEDIA. Thats pretty good for a 23-year-old shortstop. He was sent to Triple-A in 2022 after batting .130 through 24 games into the season. As a player who never profiled to hit for average but possessed a high upside when it came to power, the Cardinals easily accepted that from DeJong, especially when coupled with his solid glove at a premier position. The most important thing is just getting a routine and playing again, not having to look over your shoulder, Mozeliak said. Of the four hits he allowed, two here homers. Tommy Edman, the Cardinals regular starting shortstop, is not in manager Oliver Marmols starting lineup after he homered in the ninth inning on Saturday. ". Could Paul DeJong provide a 94 wRC+ or better against primarily right-handed pitchers while giving Edman time off to stay fresh defensively? And Paul Dejong has been what hes been for a while now. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong hits an RBI double in the fifth inning of a game against the Yankees on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, at Busch Stadium. Nolan Arenado (infield single) was on second base, Tyler ONeill (walk) was on first. His flyball rate soared and he began to center his offensive approach around the one thing he could do well: drive the ball out of ballparks. He emerged from those sessions with a more balanced swing, newly confident that he could get back to being the player who smashed 74 home runs from 2017-19, finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting in '17 and played in the All-Star Game in '19. April 22nd, 2023. Putting the ask on him midstream, I think its something that we want to be cognizant of and give him the best chance of success and just doing it as a knee-jerk reaction. By the middle of the month, he was the closer for the Yankees, the team that just didnt seem to lose. Yes, he put more balls into play and his slash line was reminiscent of his more average MLB seasons. I know things can change. Following an injury- and illness-filled 2020, DeJong clubbed 19 home runs in '21, but he lost his starting job to Edmundo Sosa. During the offseason, I argued that DeJong would likely be traded. Paul was on fire and had a great day on [Friday], Johnson said. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. St. Louis Cardinals' Paul DeJong (11) and Lars Nootbaar (21) celebrate a 4-3 victory over the New York Yankees following of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, in St. Louis. However, DeJong may be close to making his way back. Its a small sample size, of course, but its an encouraging start since it is something he struggled with in the minors. Paul DeJong is looking to bounce back in 2023. His ERA at the end of April was a sparkling 0.84. His pull percentage was the highest of his career at any level at 63.6%. What does that mean for Calif.? Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. DeJong, who has been the clubs starting shortstop since 2017 and is signed through 2023 on a six-year, $26 million contract, was 10-for-77 with a meager .417 OPS through 24 games. So whats next for DeJong? Its not for lack of familiarity, Marmol explained. DeJong will share the middle infield on Sunday with Nolan Gorman. Tommys having an incredible season for us right now at second, Mozeliak said. May 11, 2022 9:18 am. Holmes started the season with a prominent role in the . Subscribe to the Cold Wire MLB newsletter here! (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) / So, back to Fridays game. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Baseball, the sport of 162 games and six months and enough time for ebbs and flows that other sports dont allow, presented an opportunity for DeJong on Friday, and he seized the moment. Following an offseason spent reworking his swing, DeJong was limited to 13 at-bats during spring training because of a back injury. The club needs a backup shortstop who can spell Edman against some righties without sacrificing much defense for a contact-oriented pitching staff. He missed the beginning of the campaign with a back injury but has started four of the . For me, its about breaking every situation down and not getting ahead of myself, DeJong said. But Im just thankful for my chance to be here still, and I'm just going to do what I can every day until I hear anything else.. When he struggled again to open the 2022 season, DeJong was demoted to Triple-A, but eventually worked his way back to the Majors. We felt like wed get him moving and determine whats next for him.. Donovan and Corey Dickerson are the primary left-handed bench bats for now, and Juan Yepezs fantastic start to his career has limited Gormans opportunity to be strictly a designated hitter. What Holmes has been most of the season was not what he was Friday night. You have permission to edit this article. However, Sosa will have a legitimate shot to win the job outright once he returns from the COVID-19 IL, which is likely to come by Thursday. I guess in the back of my mind, I felt like I wasn't fully there, DeJong said. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. The change in his batted ball data is your muse. They locked up their guy, hoping and believing that he would at least be an above-average hitter and they had faith they could teach him how to play the position defensively. Check back in at stltoday.comthroughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of the game. DeJong, whose return to the majors with the Cardinals looked to be in serious jeopardy for more than just fleeting moments, stepped to the plate against Holmes, whose career had taken off in 2022 beyond most anyones wildest imagination. Gambling Problem? Tired of DeJong? The shortstop, who was demoted to Triple-A last year following two-plus seasons of hitting struggles, homered in his first game back with the Cardinals on July 30. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Long story short, the Cardinals decided early in the offseason that they wanted DeJong to make the team. Seeing fewer of them in the zone and doing less with the ones he saw by focusing on fly balls caused his production to collapse. He will see more balls land in good places if he can turn on them than if he tries to drive them with pop the other direction. And doing it against AAA pitchers is meaningless. In 14 innings, he surrendered just eight hits while striking out 15. The pitcher with the 1.77 ERA vs. the hitter with the .140 average in 2022. By Tuesday morning, DeJongs fate was decided. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. In order for Gorman to be used effectively, he would need to also see ample reps at second base, a position he has played professionally for just over a year. Void in ONT. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. He also hit just six home runs with 25 RBI across 77 games and 237 plate appearances. DeJong went 2-for-13 in his spring appearances, though he did work six walks, and one of those two hits was a home run. His 24 and 9 wRC+ pre-demotion and post-return surge are extremely discouraging. I know it's a long season, so I'm just going to do what I got to do each day, and eventually it'll be good enough to be out there on the field again and show what I can do.. Freddie Freeman . I know youll demand an opinion of me, so Ill offer this: the club needs DeJong to be playable. MLB home run leader Aaron Judge smashed a baseball with an exit velocity of 116.9 mph in the first inning, but he hit the ball right at St. Louis left fielder Tyler ONeill, who caught it and somehow avoided any broken fingers. Jeff Chiu/AP Show More Show Less 2 of 9 St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson, right, is congratulated by Paul DeJong (11) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game . Maybe they just really like a very likable player that theyve worked with for a decade and wanted to give him another chance? 2 prospect in St. Louis' system, per MLB Pipeline. He busted out quickly and then tanked again. The Cardinals activated shortstop Paul DeJong on Sunday ahead of their road series finale against the Mariners. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo, Cardinals roster projection 2.0: Who to watch with a week of spring training remaining, MLB spring training standouts: 10 young players who are impressing GMs, scouts. In May, Holmes did not allow a single run. "When I first got down there, I was anticipating when I would be coming back, but as time went on I was just focusing on playing the game down there. We need him to be where whatever he decides to do, he believes, and its not us having five or six people tell him what to do.. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. In 2018 he slashed .241/.313/.433 in 490 plate appearances and in his All-Star campaign in 2019 he slashed .233/.318/.444 . Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals up to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 16, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Brendan Donovan who won the first-ever National League utility Gold Glove last year, is now the most likely to fill the void. Have you recovered from your injury? Taylor Motter re, With two statistically more powerful options available off the bench, manager sticks with Dylan Carlson's keen play for key at-bat in 1-0 loss, Clearly, when you look at it just from what we have done, it hasnt been working, says executive John Mozeliak of outfield rotation amidst l, Ryan Helsley, rarely used in recently because Cardinals so rarely had a lead, allows walk-off homer in 5-4 loss to Giants that underscores mul. He was able to demonstrate the changes during his rehab assignment as batted .353 with three doubles, two homers, and drove in 14 RBIs in 34 at-bats for Class AAA Memphis after he had gone one-for-nine in three Class Low-A games to start the rehab assignment. Heres what you need to know: Its been a disappointing spring for DeJong, 29, who entered camp this season on the final year of his six-year, $26 million contract. With five named starters and seven returning relievers, one of them appears ticketed to Memphis to begin the year. It became pretty clear that the club had soured on moving him. His rookie-season production over a relatively small sample size hid disturbing flaws. Hes not giving away at-bats and has a really selective eye at the plate. While Marmol declined the notion there was a set timetable for when the organization would like to see progress from DeJong, there was also a growing sense that the clock was ticking. But that start ended with him allowing a homer, double, and a walk to the last three batters he faced to open up the seventh. Cardinals vs. Dodgers Recap: April 30, 2023, St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers - A game thread for April 30, 2023, Cardinals cant crack Kershaw, fall to Dodgers 1-0. This game is about production, Mozeliak said. I am sure that little splits-oriented nuance is part of the reason the club decided fairly early in the offseason to bring him back. The journeyman Motter, who has opened eyes with his versatility and power this spring, is the only member of that group capable of playing the middle infield. Hes struck out just 11. However, after more late-season regression, DeJong decided to tear his batting stance down and start from scratch. FRANKIE MONTAS TRADE GRADES: How did Yanks, A's fare? Sign up to comment on articles, engage with fellow sports fans, and contribute to high-quality discussions. And it would backfire on him. Keep up with the latest trending news in sports with our daily newsletter. Hes going to get some work at shortstop pregame. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team plans to activate DeJong soon, possibly as early as this weekend. St. Louis Cardinals' Paul DeJong bats during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday, April 9, 2022, in St. Louis. Tommy Edman will be the clubs starting shortstop this season, and while the Cardinals have a plethora of versatile infielders, DeJong was the most serviceable option at shortstop behind Edman. The most likely solution? He went 8 for 9 in save opportunities. Though DeJong has amassed a 0.5 bWAR on the year, he was hitting just .177 with a .648 OPS and seven homers when he went on the IL. His fast start in his return from the minors is reminiscent of 2022 when, following a nearly three-month-long demotion due to poor performance, DeJong cranked homers in consecutive days and went on a two-week bender (.646 slugging% and a 182 wRC+) before falling back into his old habits. Tossing five scoreless innings in Mondays 5-0 win over the Marlins, Woodford struck out seven in what could be his last start of an excellent spring. Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Cardinals. In June, Holmes allowed one earned run and three walks and struck out 12 in 12 innings. I think the ability to go down there and have a reset is important, but hes going to have to actually make physical change so that the result looks different.. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. DeJong, 29, will look to bounce back from a brutal 2022 season that saw him slash just .157/.245/.286 in 77 games that culminated in him getting optioned to Triple-A, where he spent 51 games in 2022. He gave up eight runs in 2 1/3 innings to the Cubs on April 11 and allowed four runs across six innings against the Brewers on April 17. Yesterday, in the 4th inning of a 2-0 game, Paul DeJong hit a 2-run homer to put the Memphis Redbirds up 4-0. In June, DeJong spent days, then weeks, then the entire month in the minors. Given his recent struggles in previous years, there may not be a clear path back for the former slugger. He went three for four with a homer and no Ks. Get viral MLB graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. Coming off a 2022 season in which he hit .157 and was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on May 10, DeJong spent most of his offseason at the teams Florida complex reworking his approach at the plate. Maybe we should have expected the unexpected at the end of this game. Both Mozeliak and Marmol have said before that when Gorman is called up, it will be as an everyday player. Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. Its hard for me to say that anything worked. I have always wanted to make everyone proud and I plan on coming back stronger than ever.. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong aggravated his lower back taking ground balls before Mondays exhibition game against the Marlins and will likely miss the opening of the 2023 season. RHP Adam Wainwright (groin): Wainwright made a rehab appearance on Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and completed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Marmol and Mozeliak met with the rest of the staff on the teams charter flight back to St. Louis from San Francisco on Sunday night and agreed to contemplate the best move for the organization over the teams scheduled off day Monday. The Cardinals would likely have to take a loss on the deal, but I didnt see any way that they would bring him back. In the past, when things went wrong, I was thinking too far ahead. DeJong swung the bat well enough at Triple-A to get back to St. Louis, where he had home runs in his first two games and drove in the winning run with a double against the Yankees a few days later. Physically he stated he had been feeling good, really since he got to Memphis. He hit more line drives than usual. DeJong, meanwhile, was tasked with getting his career back on track in the minors. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. With 10 days remaining until the Cardinals open the regular season March 30, the team acknowledges time is running out for DeJong to heal and ramp up for Opening Day. Believing in my stuff, and knowing that it's small tweaks at this point. Pitchers stopped throwing him (and other hitters like him) fastballs. He wasn't much better last . That season he managed a .194 IS0 but a wRC+ of just 85. (Photo: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). An All-Star as recently as 2019, DeJong has had a disastrous start to the year, batting an anemic .130 with 25 strikeouts in 86 plate appearances. I do think other teams had some interest; he could have been moved. He gave up an earned run in the sixth inning on Opening Day, and six of his first nine appearances on the season were before the eighth inning. He is the winner of the 2019 All-Star award. As for DeJong, it could be next week before he returns. He replaced the high leg kick that he used early in his career with a more balanced stance, in which he keeps his weight back and barely lifts his foot. He was optioned to Triple A last May after hitting .130 over the first 24 games . DeJong signed a six-year deal with the Cardinals worth $26 million back in 2018, and he is pressed to have a good performance this year if he wants St. Louis to have his 2024 club option ($12.5 . DeJong had missed the last few games due to lower back tightness but was targeting a return to game action by Tuesday. Five things I think: 1. @ JohnDenton555. Tommy Edman has a 94 career wRC+ against right-handed pitchers as a lefty batter. June 11th, 2021. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. 23 AAA: .353/.450/.618, with a 12.5% BB rate, a 30% K rate, and a 174 wRC+. A day after DeJong was scratched from the lineup because of back pain, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol revealed that the shortstop will be sidelined for a few days with discomfort that prevents him from bending over to field grounders. He emerged from those sessions with a more balanced swing, newly confident that he could get back to being the player who smashed 74 home runs from 2017-19, finished second in National League Rookie . He made his MLB debut in 2017. He did not allow a single walk. I feel like collectively, as an organization, we were positive and patient through that process. DeJongs presence on the roster seems to illicit only extreme positions. While his crisp defense bought him an extended leash to figure things out at the plate, by Tuesday morning the organization had come to the decision to send DeJong to the minors. Arenado and ONeill scored, and the Cardinals suddenly led 4-3. We do have some tough decisions, but that right there is exactly what we wanted to see today. In the 2022 MLB season, the one-time All-Star hit just .157 to go with a .245 OBP and .285 SLG. I dont know if that was a strategic decision. But I just got to keep going. On Sunday, in his first game back after spending much of the past . But which former are we talking about? The competition for the right-handed bench bat remains wide open. He had clubbed just three doubles and one home run. The Cardinals could take both Yepez and Motter on their Opening Day roster, with Yepez manning the bench bat role and Motter being used as a utility man when needed. We'll give him a few days and see how he responds to the treatment and overall work in the weight room, and then go from there.. The Cardinals do not believe that DeJong's back injury is serious, but it is another setback. At that point, I thought its best for Pauly to go down and try to figure it out at a level where theres not the extra pressure, and its best for our club from a production standpoint to have someone at short.. That move is expected to come late Saturday night or before Sundays game. Those realities hid trouble coming. DeJong, a former All-Star, struggled mightily last year. Im sorry this has happened. Back from IL, Paul DeJong starts at shortstop as Cardinals close series vs. Mariners: First Pitch. After a fun week of reminiscence, thats exactly what happened. Open their stance. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Our hope was he would get a decent amount of at-bats, especially with [starter Tommy] Edman going to the [World Baseball Classic]. DeJong hit just .197 in 2021 and was sent down to the minors last season. "I had faith that I would make my return," DeJong told The Sporting News after the game Friday. DeJong went 3-for-4 with a home run against the Seattle Mariners on Monday in his first game back from a back injury to help the Cardinals score a 7-3 victory on the road. I would argue that outside of his often-cited, never duplicated rookie season, his former production levels arent all that exciting. His breaking and offspeed rates soared. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Maybe they had a plan to fix him? Across a span of eight games to open May, DeJong went 3-for-26. Give DeJong some credit. He is then expected to advance through light throwing. How will the Cardinals cover shortstop? Even over a small number of PAs. Paul DeJong is a professional baseball player who is currently playing in the Major League Baseball(MLB). With two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees held a one-run lead. Yet through the last two seasons, DeJong hasnt been able to regain that form. DeJong, who spent most of his rehab assignment with Class AAA Memphis, is starting at shortstop at batting seventh in his return to the lineup. Tommy Edman transitioned from second base to shortstop while top infield prospect Nolan Gorman took over at second.
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