Pitchers stopped throwing him (and other hitters like him) fastballs. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) / Maybe they had a plan to fix him? 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. Long story short, the Cardinals decided early in the offseason that they wanted DeJong to make the team. But the back issue flared up Tuesday, preventing DeJong from fully bending down to field grounders. Freddie Freeman . However, after more late-season regression, DeJong decided to tear his batting stance down and start from scratch. 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. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong talks with the media at the Winter Warm-Up. The Cardinals are 3-6 through their first nine games. What served as the deciding factor was the quality of DeJongs at-bats, which Marmol felt had not improved, and needing overall better production through the lineup. 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. Over his four starts this season, Flexen has allowed 22 hits and 15 runs in 17 1/3 innings. 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. He returned in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, batting 7th and playing shortstop to give Tommy Edman a needed day off. And the Cardinals talked a lot about how he had to compete for his spot on the roster out of Spring Training. The past did not dictate the present. 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. After a fun week of reminiscence, thats exactly what happened. JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals received some roster clarity Monday, when shortstop Paul DeJong suffered a setback in his return from lower back pain that has kept him off the field for the better part of the past week. On Sunday, in his first game back after spending much of the past . The change in his batted ball data is your muse. I guess in the back of my mind, I felt like I wasn't fully there, DeJong said. 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.. DeJong's best offensive year is still his 2017 rookie season, as he finished second in NL Rookie Of The Year voting, and the Cards locked him up with a six-year, $26MM contract extension. Undoubtedly, DeJong's 2018 and 2019 seasons with the club were his best. Maybe we should have expected the unexpected at the end of this game. Paul DeJong steps into opportunity he might have 'dreaded' before and delivers big hit for Cardinals vs. Yankees, Four candidates to be this October's Jorge Soler/Eddie Rosario-type playoff hero, Aaron Judge pushes ahead of Yankees legends with torrid home run pace heading into August, New York lands OF Bader for SP Montgomery, Cardinals bolster pitching staff in deadline deal with Pirates for Quintana. Nolan Arenado (infield single) was on second base, Tyler ONeill (walk) was on first. He wasn't much better last . Paul was on fire and had a great day on [Friday], Johnson said. 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. We wont send you spam. Those are never easy conversations, Marmol said. Paul DeJong's age is 29. I dont think its a bad thing for him to pull the ball more. TV: Bally Sports Midwest His highest HR/FB% in the majors 19.8% came during his rookie year. The Cardinals would prefer to stay away from using Gorman as a role player, unlike Donovan, Robertson and Lars Nootbaar. (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. 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. 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. His K and BB rates fit those as well. Physically he stated he had been feeling good, really since he got to Memphis. And Paul Dejong has been what hes been for a while now. So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. The ball will tell you whats going on. The Cardinals do not believe that DeJong's back injury is serious, but it is another setback. He spent most of the offseason at the Cards' Florida complex reworking his swing, then he hit .154 with one homer and six walks across 19 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play. In 2018 he slashed .241/.313/.433 in 490 plate appearances and in his All-Star campaign in 2019 he slashed .233/.318/.444 . He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. 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 . 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. RHP Chris Flexen (0-3, 7.79 ERA): Flexen comes into Sunday set to face an NL Central team for the third consecutive time. 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. Holmes started the season with a prominent role in the . It was going to be a move where he went down. 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. A random home run in a AAA game is not normally a noteworthy event. What does that mean for Calif.? 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. Clay Holmes was on the mound for the visitors. Wainwright is scheduled to make a second rehab start with Springfield, which will come on the road at Wichita. He is also passionate about music, cats, and South Park. And, yeah, he wears a mask. 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. In June, Holmes allowed one earned run and three walks and struck out 12 in 12 innings. His breaking and offspeed rates soared. Given his recent struggles in previous years, there may not be a clear path back for the former slugger. 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 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. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the position of shortstop and was drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft in the fourth round. Arenado and ONeill scored, and the Cardinals suddenly led 4-3. Across a span of eight games to open May, DeJong went 3-for-26. Obviously, its still very early in the season. Dodgers third. That K rate is your soapbox. 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. 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. In May, DeJong played just eight games for the Cardinals, batting .115 with a .297 OPS. 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. But, again, in Memphis. 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. They also did nothing to create a competition for him besides a too-young-to-even-consider Masyn Winn, journeyman not-a-short-stop Taylor Motter, and Evan-Mendoza-replacement Jose Fermin. 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. Andrew Knizner will be Flahertys batterymate as Willson Contreras is slotted into his regular five spot in the lineup as the Cardinals designated hitter. He also dabbles in college hoops and other sports. The club needs a backup shortstop who can spell Edman against some righties without sacrificing much defense for a contact-oriented pitching staff. With two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees held a one-run lead. Brendan Donovan who won the first-ever National League utility Gold Glove last year, is now the most likely to fill the void. I eased into it as time went on. By the end of April, he was batting just .137. If you don't, you might want to follow his lead. PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- In a perfect world, Paul DeJong would have been in the batters box and facing Mets superstar pitcher Justin Verlander on Wednesday while using his newly designed minimal-stride approach to show the Cardinals that he can again be a useful hitter. Because, yknow, #baseball. When he's not writing sports articles, you can find him playing MLB The Show, watching Cardinals games, and scrolling through Star Wars memes. 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 . 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. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. But he was still almost flyball-exclusive as a hitter. Following an injury- and illness-filled 2020, DeJong clubbed 19 home runs in '21, but he lost his starting job to Edmundo Sosa. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. That new stance seemed to be paying off for DeJong in early March when he hit a long home run off the batters eye against the Nationals. Do more work off the tee. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. He spent most of the offseason at the Cards' Florida complex reworking his swing, then he hit .154 with one homer and six walks across 19 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play. 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. "I had faith that I would make my return," DeJong told The Sporting News after the game Friday. He was optioned to Triple A last May after hitting .130 over the first 24 games . I know youll demand an opinion of me, so Ill offer this: the club needs DeJong to be playable. I feel like collectively, as an organization, we were positive and patient through that process. Tommy Edman was shifted over to re-learn short and excelled there defensively. But with Motter having recorded a hit in two of his first three games, DeJongs path back to the big leagues will not be devoid of adversity. Now that's what we call clutch! 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. He has gone 1-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. DeJong was the subject of much speculation in the offseason, but the club stuck with him as its starting shortstop entering the season. Juan Yepez, who looks to be on the outside looking in in terms of the outfield, remains under consideration for a pinch-hit role as well. There is data in those 40 PAs to fuel both sides. Its a revitalized feeling.. 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. DeJong slugged .390 in 2021, compared with .286 this . 21+ (18+ NH/WY). Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. All while providing solid-to-good defense himself? 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. It doesnt mean he was pleased with it but he understood it.. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. So whats next for DeJong? He still hit a high percentage of his fly balls out of the park. 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. Its about sticking with things moment to moment. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). Stream: https://t.co/JyFc2efJXn pic.twitter.com/8QgBfaVWr9, "DeJong put a great swing on one and really hurt him, obviously," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. (Last updated: April 18), Monday vs. San Francisco: LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.84) vs. TBA, Tuesday vs. San Francisco: RHP Jake Woodford 1-2, 6.05) vs. TBA, Wednesday vs. San Francisco: LHP Steven Matz (0-3, 6.55) vs. TBA. Gorman will start at second and bat third behind leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. 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. In his career, DeJong has shown reverse splits. 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. He finished the 2022 season with a poor .157 average. JUPITER, Fla. Back in mid-March, long after the majority of the major leaguers had headed back to the clubhouse for the day or left for the golf course there stood Paul DeJong on an . Others want to believe he can get back to his All-Star self. I'll explain more in a forthcoming story @TheAthleticSTL pic . Last chance! This game is about production, Mozeliak said. He wasnt guaranteed anything. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. He finally had one hiccup outing but cruised into the break with a 1.31 ERA. DeJong, now 29 with five years of MLB service time, homered in his first big league at-bat in Colorado back in 2017. 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. I would expect the playing for (Paul DeJong) to fluctuate, and to resemble what Oli Marmol has been doing in the outfield, Woo said. After an All-Star season in 2019, DeJongs offensive performance has slipped steadily over the last three years. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). "He continues to get better and better, and that was a pretty impressive outing, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. The Cardinals will send right-hander Jack Flaherty to the mound as they look to avoid a sweep vs. Seattle in the first leg of their three-city, west coast road trip. Donovan was in Tuesdays starting lineup at shortstop, becoming the first MLB player in the modern era (since 1900) to start at four different infield positions in the first four starts of his career. So, Im really looking forward to Paul going up and helping our club.. Part of me wants to see progress in there. Infielder who was a fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. Throw Kramer Robertson in there, too, if you want. Next. Asked if he thinks hell be ready to play again before the Cardinals break camp, DeJong said probably not.. DeJong, meanwhile, has been better in Triple-A, but is still struggling as hes hitting only .189/.244/.243 with a .487 OPS in 41 plate appearances. For me, its about breaking every situation down and not getting ahead of myself, DeJong said. After an All-Star season in 2019, DeJong's offensive performance has slipped steadily over the last three years. 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. Wainwright made a rehab appearance on Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and completed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Will it last? Hes considerably better against righties than lefties. He was sent to Triple-A in 2022 after batting .130 through 24 games into the season. Why was Robertson called up and not top prospect Nolan Gorman? He would learn to walk more topping out at 9.8% in 20. As a result, Taylor Motter was selected to be the Cardinals utility infielder out of spring training. Even though the past can provide hints and suggestions as to what might happen, the past does not absolutely dictate the future. We felt like wed get him moving and determine whats next for him.. Hes going to get some work at shortstop pregame. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. That said, its hard to see another team taking on his contract considering his extensive struggles in the majors, and that would mean that DeJong being DFAd is the most likely scenario, barring him bouncing back in a big way and Gorman struggling in the majors. In the process, hes outpitched Hudson considerably. Motter has had an impressive spring hes posted an .804 OPS with three home runs in 18 spring games while playing virtually around the diamond and the Cardinals do have an open spot on their 40-man roster. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. It's more just execution, consistency and just fine-tuning stuff.". The result was a league-average player with improving defense. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Heres how Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol answered: When the Cardinals embarked for Kansas City and San Francisco last week, there was already a heavy sense of pressure mounting on DeJong, who posted a mere .247 on-base percentage through the month of April. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team plans to activate DeJong soon, possibly as early as this weekend. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 2. 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. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. However, the flashy rookie had his troubles with Verlander on Wednesday, striking out in each of his first two plate appearances. And those pitches will be on the black in challenge counts and with incredible break and spin. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. However, DeJong may be close to making his way back. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Hes struck out just 11. 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 million) picked up. His homerun per flyball rate was 23.9% a high rate built on offense-oriented minor league ballparks and developing pitchers with sketchy command. DeJongs presence on the roster seems to illicit only extreme positions. DeJong, meanwhile, was tasked with getting his career back on track in the minors. I cant do normal things right now, so it's definitely not playable. He was finally called back up at the end of July and homered in each of his first two games before going 1 for 9 in the three-game set against the Cubs to open August. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. 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. So, Dejong returned. (, Rodriguez began a rehab assignment on Thursday with Class AAA Memphis where he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out one batter.
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