Cardinals Option Paul DeJong to Memphis; Kramer Robertson Promoted

UPDATE 3:26 PM CST: The Cardinals have released their roster for tonight and Donovan will be the starting shortstop. He’ll probably be the main option until Sosa returns from the IL, where they will split time.

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UPDATE 3:04 PM CST: The Cardinals have sent official word of the move; Kramer Robertson is being promoted. Go to the bottom for the official release. More updates will come after the press conference.

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In a surprising move, the Cardinals have optioned struggling shortstop Paul DeJong to Memphis; no corresponding move has been announced yet. Tommy Edman is expected to move over to shortstop; my guess is Brendan Donovan will handle second until a move is made. Utility infielder Edmundo Sosa is currently on the IL list for Covid; he’s in Springfield on a rehab assignment and unavailable to the team right now.

DeJong was eligible to be optioned since he had less then 5 years of MLB service time and had an option remaining; he’s sitting at 4.127 years as of this morning. DeJong has slashed .130/.209/.208 this season, and is coming off 3 full seasons of below replacement level production. His value has been tied to his defense, but it’s hard to cover his batting line when Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson, and Yadier Molina all have struggled as well.

This could be the precursor to a Nolan Gorman promotion. The second baseman is currently slashing .307/.360/.693 this season at Memphis. He’s crushing the ball right now; he has 12 homers as of last night. He’s also sporting a 37.62% strikeout rate with a 7.92% walk rate. While the power is obviously ready, he’s going to struggle with strikeouts for a while.

John Mozeliak is scheduled to speak with the media at 3:15 CST about the move. Check back for more updates.

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CARDINALS ANNOUNCE ROSTER MOVES; PAUL DEJONG OPTIONED & ROOKIE INF KRAMER ROBERTSON ADDED

ST. LOUIS, MO., May 10, 2022 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s series opener with Baltimore that they have optioned shortstop Paul DeJong to Memphis (AAA) and selected the contract of rookie infielder Kramer Robertson from the Memphis club.

The right-handed hitting Robertson, who was the Cardinals 4^th round (124^th player overall) draft selection in 2017 out of Louisiana State University, will be making his Major League debut with his first game appearance.

Robertson, 27, was batting .225 with a .380 on-base pct. in 23 games for Memphis this season. He has tallied three homers and six stolen bases on the year while playing 2^nd base, 3^rd base and shortstop.

After a slow start to his 2022 campaign, Robertson was batting .318 with a .400 on-base pct. and .991 OPS in seven games to begin the month of May.

Robertson joins Brendan Donovan, Packy Naughton, Andre Pallante and Juan Yepez among rookies currently on the team’s 26-player active roster.

Robertson has been assigned uniform no. 35.

— STL —