Keep up with the latest trending news in sports with our daily newsletter. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. 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. All indications are that he worked in the offseason to improve, simplify his batting approach, and try to get himself back to his former production levels. Cardinals Paul DeJong avoids . Odds and lines subject to change. He ended up with just 40 PAs at Memphis. The adjustment wasnt coming to fruition in the actual games. I know youll demand an opinion of me, so Ill offer this: the club needs DeJong to be playable. DeJong, meanwhile, was tasked with getting his career back on track in the minors. Next. Could DeJong do that again? During the offseason, I argued that DeJong would likely be traded. Arenado and ONeill scored, and the Cardinals suddenly led 4-3. The Cardinals are hopeful he can rediscover the swing that helped him hit 25 home runs as a rookie in 2017, 19 in 2018 and a career-best 30 in 2019, when he was the NLs starting shortstop in the All-Star Game. Depending on the quality of that player, the Cardinals would have at best broken even and likely would have had to add payroll to make the trade and cover their butts positionally. Following an offseason spent reworking his swing, DeJong was limited to 13 at-bats during spring training because of a back injury. The Cardinals activated shortstop Paul DeJong on Sunday ahead of their road series finale against the Mariners. 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. The club needs a backup shortstop who can spell Edman against some righties without sacrificing much defense for a contact-oriented pitching staff. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. While Edman is also a contender to slide to shortstop, the Cardinals would prefer to avoid making an abrupt position change, especially one that would unseat the 2021 Gold Glove winner from a position where he is continuing to excel. 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. We have even seen batters try to switch sides. We felt like wed get him moving and determine whats next for him.. Instead, DeJong has spent the spring hampered by minor injuries. And it would backfire on him. Gambling Problem? We wont send you spam. 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. Eligibility restrictions apply. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong talks with the media at the Winter Warm-Up. You would be hard-pressed to find two players following more divergent paths in the 2022 season. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Catchers once in a lifetime lunge saves Cardinals, The world watches (and makes donations) as St. Louis bald eagle raises eaglet from a rock, Governor threatens to keep Missouri lawmakers in session over transgender rules, Barat Academy in Chesterfield to close after years of financial troubles, Four young people die in Old Monroe head-on crash, Court records online include private information for thousands of Missouri residents, Archdiocese releases third draft of proposed changes to St. Louis parishes. Zachary Silver. He did not allow a single walk. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) Paul DeJong was one of three St. Louis Cardinals players who began the 2023 season on the injured list.. DeJong has been dealing with a back issue, while Wilking Rodriguez is out with a shoulder issue and Adam Wainwright is recovering from a groin injury.. 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. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. I'll explain more in a forthcoming story @TheAthleticSTL pic . RHP Chris Flexen (0-3, 7.79 ERA): Flexen comes into Sunday set to face an NL Central team for the third consecutive time. YANKEES-CARDINALS TRADE DETAILS: New York lands OF Bader for SP Montgomery. A World Series winner as a player and the big, booming voice of summer as a broadcaster, St. Louis native spent more than 50 years as a champi, Walker was not in the internal lineup Wednesday for a third consecutive day, and the reason: He's being demoted to Class AAA. Give DeJong some credit. For Marmol, both elements of DeJongs game carry equal weight. His flyball rate was 36.4%. Me? WASHINGTON -- Paul DeJong is back with the Cardinals, though not officially, yet. "I'm just really happy to be back here and contributing the way that I am.". It's a fine line between competing and working on stuff, Woodford said. 23 AAA: .353/.450/.618, with a 12.5% BB rate, a 30% K rate, and a 174 wRC+. 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. 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. 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.. A look at internal options for the rotation. Long story short, the Cardinals decided early in the offseason that they wanted DeJong to make the team. The Cardinals will experiment with multiple middle infielders at shortstop, including Brendan Donovan and potentially Robertson. I think hes had a lot of voices in his ear and we need to simplify that, Mozeliak said. Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. We feel pretty good about what Tommys doing at second at the moment, but (shortstop) is not out of the question.. But he also had a 30% K rate. When he's not writing sports articles, you can find him playing MLB The Show, watching Cardinals games, and scrolling through Star Wars memes. Pauly D gives the #STLCards the lead with a two-run double! In a move long overduethough jarring, nonethelessthe Cardinals demoted Paul DeJong, optioning the shortstop to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. CHICAGO -- The ever-sturdy, ever-reliable Paul DeJong has been such a constant in Cardinals lineups since he debuted in 2017 that the club has stressed the need to simply find their shortstop a breather over the course of this campaign and those of the past. He struck out three and threw a total of 59 pitches (40 strikes). He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. 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. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Weve seen BABIP-fueled power surges from him before. Yeah, it's not ideal, Marmol said after the Cards' 4-1 win over the Mets on Wednesday. Thats not asking that much of him. He wasnt guaranteed anything. He struck out three and threw a total of 59 pitches (40 strikes). FRANKIE MONTAS TRADE GRADES: How did Yanks, A's fare? His rookie-season production over a relatively small sample size hid disturbing flaws. The Cardinals would have to pay someone else between $6-9.17M to take DeJong off their hands while also paying another player to come and fill the backup middle infield role. Andrew Knizner will be Flahertys batterymate as Willson Contreras is slotted into his regular five spot in the lineup as the Cardinals designated hitter. DeJong, now 29 with five years of MLB service time, homered in his first big league at-bat in Colorado back in 2017. In May, Holmes did not allow a single run. 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. Its about sticking with things moment to moment. 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. Mozeliak said the club made the decision to promote DeJong on Friday afternoon, but the logistics of joining the Cardinals in Seattle during their 10-game road trip complicated matters a bit. DeJong smacked a two-run shot in the eighth inning and scored St. Louis' final run of the game in the ninth. MORE:Cardinals bolster pitching staff in deadline deal with Pirates for Quintana. 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. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. Because, yknow, #baseball. 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.. Those realities hid trouble coming. After struggling mightily immediately after his demotion, DeJong seems to have . DeJong has started in his place over the last three games. With two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees held a one-run lead. 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. 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. He is the winner of the 2019 All-Star award. Tired of DeJong? His HR/FB rate was 25%. A nightly look at the day\'s top sports stories, and a first look at the topics St. Louis fans will be talking about tomorrow. 2 prospect in St. Louis' system, per MLB Pipeline. Part of me wants to see progress in there. Its been a frustrating spring, because I didn't get to play the field right away and now I can't finish it off, DeJong said. We do have some tough decisions, but that right there is exactly what we wanted to see today. If were being very honest, an 85-100 wRC+ player with some power and quality defense is about as good as we were going to get for a backup SS position. Marmol said the Cards have a plan that includes weight room work and conditioning exercises to ease Edman back into Spring Training following his 16-hour flight from Tokyo. Pauly's feeling better, but he'll be sidelined for a few days as [his lower back] mainly hurts when he's bending over for ground balls, but rotation -- as far as his swing -- not so much, Marmol said. In the 2022 MLB season, the one-time All-Star hit just .157 to go with a .245 OBP and .285 SLG. He missed the beginning of the campaign with a back injury but has started four of the . DeJong was the subject of much speculation in the offseason, but the club stuck with him as its starting shortstop entering the season. It became pretty clear that the club had soured on moving him. His walk rate would likely stay the same, if only because he wasnt seeing balls in the zone. DeJong slugged .390 in 2021, compared with .286 this . Unsubscribe at any time. There was a problem saving your notification. He saw fewer and fewer pitches in the zone. I do think other teams had some interest; he could have been moved. His xBA (expected batting average) of .158 ranked in the bottom percent of the entire league. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo, Cardinals optioned former All-Star shortstop. 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. Sign up to comment on articles, engage with fellow sports fans, and contribute to high-quality discussions. In the past, when things went wrong, I was thinking too far ahead. 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. Its those old habits that I want to take a look at today. Thats not nearly enough time to accurately evaluate any change in DeJongs performance or potential. Its not for lack of familiarity, Marmol explained. Cardinals latest, deflating loss compounds concerns, Man shot, killed near Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis, What was Andrew Knizner thinking? By Tuesday morning, DeJongs fate was decided. Paul DeJong, just three years after being an All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals, is playing for the Memphis Redbirds, hoping to turn career around. Infielder who was a fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. What DeJong has been most of the season was not what he was Friday night. On Sunday, in his first game back after spending much of the past . But I just got to keep going. Can we get him at-bats here? Marmol asked hypothetically. Making his caseA day after Dakota Hudson took a step backward in the battle for the Cardinals sixth starter/swingman job, right-hander Jake Woodford may have sealed his case to head north with the team in that spot. The hope is that DeJong can hit the reset button in multiple facets of his game; one being from a production standpoint and the other stemming from changing his mentality. DeJong is back. Cardinals Insider Provides Positive Adam Wainwright Update. On Twitter, Cardinals insider Jeff Jones provided an update on where things stand and revealed what manager Oli Marmol had to say about the matter. There is data in those 40 PAs to fuel both sides. Believing in my stuff, and knowing that it's small tweaks at this point. His expected slugging percentage (.268) didnt fare much better, coming in at the bottom 2 percent. Or if it was just the natural evolution of DeJongs swing. I know things can change. Paul DeJong was one of three St. Louis Cardinals players who began the 2023 season on the injured list. But his offense was 20 percentage points below where he started. And from a performance standpoint, hes been playing every day and responding well.. (Last updated: April 21), LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain): Since going on the 15-day IL, Naughton has continued a rest program to see how his arm responds. Losing focus of what Im doing has been my biggest enemy. His power never returned to his rookie form and his poor contact ability tanked his BABIP. His 24 and 9 wRC+ pre-demotion and post-return surge are extremely discouraging. He was optioned to Triple A last May after hitting .130 over the first 24 games of the year. He hit more line drives than usual. 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. I dont know if that was a strategic decision. Despite all those accolades that the broadcasters like to remind us of, DeJong has not been a good Major League hitter since his first few months in the Majors. Gorman, 22, has flashed the tantalizing skills that have made both Cardinals and rival executives gush over his abilities, as he is slashing .385/.500/.539 with a 1.039 OPS in his first 16 plate appearances. He was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft. The closest hes gotten since was 16% in 2021. All-Star shortstop Paul DeJong apologized to Cardinals fans for his minor-league demotion, vowing to come back "stronger than ever" when he returns from Triple-A Memphis. So, Im really looking forward to Paul going up and helping our club.. LHP Packy Naughton (left forearm strain): Since going on the 15-day IL, Naughton has continued a rest program to see how his arm responds. At least not very often. He went 8 for 9 in save opportunities. Paul DeJong wears a mask when he is in public. DeJongs presence on the roster seems to illicit only extreme positions. Pitchers stopped throwing him (and other hitters like him) fastballs. 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 think the Milwaukee Brewers' offense is starting to show signs of life after finishing April ranked 17th in OPS (.673) and 19th in wRC+ (95). 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. And Paul Dejong has been what hes been for a while now. DeJong barely had any time this spring and hit the IL on Opening Day to both rehab his back and get in some Spring Training before roster mechanics forced the club to activate him. Maybe they had a plan to fix him? In June, DeJong spent days, then weeks, then the entire month in the minors. Get viral MLB graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. I'm not reinventing my pitches, or trying to change anything drastically with my arsenal. Taylor Motter, a non-roster invite who spent time with the Reds organization last year, could also be under consideration as the Cardinals look to pin down their Opening Day roster by next week. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. 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 . Very exciting for an organization that hasnt had a power hitter at the position since well, ever. 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. Instead, the expectation is Gorman will face off against right-handed starting pitching, either as the designated hitter or at second base. Prior to joining The Athletic, Katie spent two years covering the minor leagues as an editorial producer for MiLB.com and spent the 2018 MLB season covering the San Diego Padres as an associate reporter for MLB.com. Paul DeJong is back. Paul DeJong is looking to bounce back in 2023. "I had faith that I would make my return," DeJong told The Sporting News after the game Friday. 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. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. However, the Cardinals' plans to showcase DeJong fizzled almost from the start when he was unable to play shortstop because of a case of arm fatigue. With Edman playing for South Korea in the WBC and DeJong nursing an injury, an unexpected opportunity has emerged for Masyn Winn, the No. Given his recent struggles in previous years, there may not be a clear path back for the former slugger. Ranking the 10 worst contracts in the National League Central. After an All-Star season in 2019, DeJong's offensive performance has slipped steadily over the last three years. I asked if it DeJong would be here once hes healthy, and Marmol said they want to get to that point first and see where things are at before making that determination. He would learn to walk more topping out at 9.8% in 20. However, after more late-season regression, DeJong decided to tear his batting stance down and start from scratch. Tommy Edman, the Cardinals regular starting shortstop, is not in manager Oliver Marmols starting lineup after he homered in the ninth inning on Saturday. 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. Paul DeJong moves his rehab assignment to Memphis Monday. Hes hitting better now. @ JohnDenton555. Of the four hits he allowed, two here homers. I thought I was ready to take ground balls today and flared it back up, DeJong said. His 2024 team also has a club option on him for 2025 worth $15 million. (Last updated: April 21), RHP Wilking Rodriguez (shoulder): Rodriguez began a rehab assignment on Thursday with Class AAA Memphis where he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out one batter. Those are never easy conversations, Marmol said. He also hit just six home runs with 25 RBI across 77 games and 237 plate appearances. Thats not $9M former All-Star shortstop levels of production. RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.95 ERA): The 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. What will happen when he starts seeing even more breaking and offspeed pitches than in the past? His absence should enhance the opportunity for several players battling for the final bench spot, potentially creating a path to the Opening Day roster for outfielders Alec Burleson and Juan Yepez or utility man Taylor Motter. Our hope was he would get a decent amount of at-bats, especially with [starter Tommy] Edman going to the [World Baseball Classic]. We can divide DeJongs 2022 season into five very unequal sections: April 7 May 8: .130/.209/.208, with a 29.1% K rate, 8.1% BB rate, and a 24 wRC+, May 9 July 29 in AAA: .249/.313/.552, with a 22.6% K rate, 8.7% BB rate, and a 118 wRC+, July 30 August 14: .292/.375/.646, with a 30% K rate, 10.7% BB rate and a 182 wRC+, August 15 end of season: .106/.200/.153, with a 38.9% K rate, 8.4% BB rate, and a 9 wRC+. His homerun per flyball rate was 23.9% a high rate built on offense-oriented minor league ballparks and developing pitchers with sketchy command. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. I believe he (or someone like him) has a necessary role to play on this club. 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. His setback will require at least a week of rehab, meaning DeJong will all but surely start the season on the injured list. DeJong hit just .197 in 2021 and was sent down to the minors last season. As a result, Taylor Motter was selected to be the Cardinals utility infielder out of spring training. You already know that DeJong scuffled to begin last season. 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. His walks stayed fairly consistent, helped by the rising number of balls out of the strike zone, but his batting average, barrel rate, and expected stats all took a nosedive. However, hes been unable to carry over the momentum from that moment because of multiple injuries. 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. We certainly know whats happening with Nolan (Gorman) down in Memphis, but we dont want to necessarily move someone right away without some proper process and a way to get him some work before we eventually do that.. Over his four starts this season, Flexen has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs in 17 1/3 innings. 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 team's Florida complex reworking his approach at the plate. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY. 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. Heres a simple rule that Ive followed in player analysis: players dont change later in their careers. Instead, DeJong faltered to the point where Mozeliak had no choice but to demote him. "Tough inning. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). He has gone 1-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. And the Cardinals talked a lot about how he had to compete for his spot on the roster out of Spring Training. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. Paul DeJong hasnt had a season with a batting average better than .200 since 2020 when he hit .250. Hes struck out just 11. Dodgers third. In June, Holmes allowed one earned run and three walks and struck out 12 in 12 innings. Will it last? 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. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. From 20-22, DeJongs whiffs rose. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) / dark. Check back in at stltoday.comthroughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of the game. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. I love the Cardinals fans, the Cardinals organization, my coaches and teammates, DeJong said.