In 14 innings, he surrendered just eight hits while striking out 15. His 2024 team also has a club option on him for 2025 worth $15 million. (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.. 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. Physically he stated he had been feeling good, really since he got to Memphis. He went three for four with a homer and no Ks. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. He has 1967 plate appearances of 92 wRC+ since his rookie season. When DeJong struggled mightily to open last season, the Cardinals sent him to Triple-A and shifted Edman -- a Gold Glove winner at second in 2021 -- to short. 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. Odds and lines subject to change. Tommys having an incredible season for us right now at second, Mozeliak said. Open their stance. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the position of shortstop and was drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft in the fourth round. 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. To create space for DeJong on the 26-man roster, Taylor Motter was designated for assignment. He has struck out 11 times, which is 26.8 percent of the time, and that is a number that is far too high. And those pitches will be on the black in challenge counts and with incredible break and spin. Paul DeJong out with back pain, still looking to rebound - MLB Have you recovered from your injury? In the past, when things went wrong, I was thinking too far ahead. And even if he does, its possible that he has played his last game in a Cardinals uniform. 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.. 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. John Denton. ST. LOUIS What a major league baseball player was yesterday is not necessarily what he is today. 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. Five things I think: 1. I still believe in Tommy Edmans defense. With Gorman now in the majors, there is simply no room for DeJong. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo, Cardinals optioned former All-Star shortstop. DeJong, who hit at least 19 home runs in each of his first three MLB seasons before seeing his batting average plummet to below .200 the past two years, will be activated following rehab stints with Single-A Palm Beach and Triple-A Memphis. Paul DeJong out of action with back pain - MLB The club needs a backup shortstop who can spell Edman against some righties without sacrificing much defense for a contact-oriented pitching staff. Weve seen BABIP-fueled power surges from him before. 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. 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. 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. SEATTLE -- Shortstop Paul DeJong, whose career has been marred by shocking struggles much of the past three seasons, is headed back to the Cardinals and could be activated as soon as Sunday, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Saturday. (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. The Cardinals decided to call up Robertson and leave Gorman in Memphis for a multitude of reasons, with the top priority being playing time. Curt is a massive fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and MLB. He hit just .157 to go along with a lackluster .530 OPS through 77 games with St. Louis. 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. Video by Derrick Goold. St Louis Cardinals News: Paul DeJong working his way back - Redbird Rants What Holmes has been most of the season was not what he was Friday night. 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. @ JohnDenton555. He missed the beginning of the campaign with a back injury but has started four of the . Gambling Problem? With so many internal infield options at both the major- and minor-league levels, the Cardinals want to be sure theyve exhausted all their options before resorting to a major roster change. Its a small sample size, of course, but its an encouraging start since it is something he struggled with in the minors. So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. May 11, 2022 9:18 am. In a move long overduethough jarring, nonethelessthe Cardinals demoted Paul DeJong, optioning the shortstop to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. It's more just execution, consistency and just fine-tuning stuff.". Tired of DeJong? And it would backfire on him. Then we want him to get into a routine that hes comfortable and that he believes in.. Try a week on us. 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. I believe he (or someone like him) has a necessary role to play on this club. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). I know youll demand an opinion of me, so Ill offer this: the club needs DeJong to be playable. For me, its about breaking every situation down and not getting ahead of myself, DeJong said. In 16 games that month for the Redbirds his first extended time in the minors since 2017 he hit two home runs and had a .634 OPS. We can talk about hard-hitting balls, hard contact, but you guys can look at the numbers just like we can, and hes just not getting it done in that standpoint. In 77 MLB games last season, he hit .157 with six home runs and 25 RBIs -- prompting the offseason work to change his approach at the plate. The Cardinals would prefer to stay away from using Gorman as a role player, unlike Donovan, Robertson and Lars Nootbaar. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. 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. Evaluating Paul DeJong's future with the St. Louis Cardinals He started to hit home runs with much more regularity, though, including six in a nine-game stretch that also included 18 RBIs. But he also had a 30% K rate. Given his recent struggles in previous years, there may not be a clear path back for the former slugger. Paul DeJong apologizes to Cardinals fans for minor-league - MSN Paul DeJong apologizes to fans for minor-league demotion With five named starters and seven returning relievers, one of them appears ticketed to Memphis to begin the year. It wasnt looking any better, so we made the move.. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. He was optioned to Triple A last May after hitting .130 over the first 24 games of the year. Yes, he put more balls into play and his slash line was reminiscent of his more average MLB seasons. Obviously, he worked really hard this offseason to address certain things with his swing. 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. I'll explain more in a forthcoming story @TheAthleticSTL pic . Wainwright is scheduled to make a second rehab start with Springfield, which will come on the road at Wichita. He has gone 1-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. Or at least not worse. (. In the process, hes outpitched Hudson considerably. From 20-22, DeJongs whiffs rose. It was already a bit of a goofy night. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. Paul DeJong steps into opportunity he might have 'dreaded' before and 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. The starting shortstop job was DeJong's to win back, and a promising spring campaign one where DeJong "felt like (himself)" again seemed to indicate this would be the season where he . We have even seen batters try to switch sides. Hes struck out just 11. ST. LOUIS After going 0-3 against the San Francisco Giants May 8 of this season, Paul DeJong's future as a Cardinal looked murky at best. I feel like collectively, as an organization, we were positive and patient through that process. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. Rodriguez did not allow a hit or walk in the outing and needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to complete the outing. His rookie-season production over a relatively small sample size hid disturbing flaws. Help us maintain a respectful and inclusive community. That certainly didnt base that decision on performance. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. 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. Holmes started the season with a prominent role in the . Freddie Freeman . 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. 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. He has impressed the club with his development of a new slider this spring and has had excellent results in Grapefruit League play, pitching to a 2.04 ERA with an 18/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 17 2/3 innings. "Tough inning. 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. His walk rate would likely stay the same, if only because he wasnt seeing balls in the zone. Holmes started the season with a prominent role in the Yankees' bullpen. DeJong has started in his place over the last three games. Cardinals Insider Provides Positive Adam Wainwright Update. And from a performance standpoint, hes been playing every day and responding well.. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Because, yknow, #baseball. DeJong, now 29 with five years of MLB service time, homered in his first big league at-bat in Colorado back in 2017. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. Cardinals SS DeJong (back) likely to miss start of 2023 season 23 AAA: .353/.450/.618, with a 12.5% BB rate, a 30% K rate, and a 174 wRC+. But as has been the case for much of the past three seasons with DeJong, little has gone perfectly for the onetime All-Star shortstop. The 29-year-old baseball player was born in Orlando, Florida, USA. The Cardinals' west coast road trip takes them to San Francisco next where they will open up a four-series against the Giants on Monday. In 18 and 19, DeJong showed some signs of maturity all while seeing his overall offensive production drop. Use it to create a different version of DeJong whose simplified approach to getting the bat to the ball could lead him to more balls in play in good places and a more sustainable offensive model. In the 2022 MLB season, the one-time All-Star hit just .157 to go with a .245 OBP and .285 SLG. DeJong had missed the last few games due to lower back tightness but was targeting a return to game action by Tuesday. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 2. DeJong, who hit at least 19 home runs in each . The Cardinals are 3-6 through their first nine games. If he simplified his approach to get the barrel to the ball quicker, then why did he whiff so often on minor league pitches early this season? 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. What worked for DeJong during his long period in Memphis? Ranking the 10 worst contracts in the National League Central. This doesnt mean the Cardinals will not call up Gorman. Flaherty has struck out 17 batters and walked 17 in 21 1/3 innings. April 22nd, 2023. After reforming his swing over the winter, DeJong was expected to factor heavily into the reserve infielder and right-handed bench bat role. 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 returned in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, batting 7th and playing shortstop to give Tommy Edman a needed day off. Winn, Wednesdays starter, is batting .276 with an .870 OPS this spring. Cardinals Insider Provides Update On Paul DeJong Even though the past can provide hints and suggestions as to what might happen, the past does not absolutely dictate the future. 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. His highest HR/FB% in the majors 19.8% came during his rookie year. 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.. Back from IL, Paul DeJong starts at shortstop as Cardinals close series vs. Mariners: First Pitch. Sign up to comment on articles, engage with fellow sports fans, and contribute to high-quality discussions. FanGraphs has a projected playing time of only 15 percent at the shortstop position in St. Louis for Paul DeJong, while Tommy Edman owns an 81 percent projected 81 percent playing time in the same infield slot. 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. It seemed best for the club to work out a change-of-scenery type deal that would allow him to compete at SS and try to get himself right. Paul DeJong homers in his first game of 2023 - MLB 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. 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. 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. See terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. 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. Despite his immediate impact on the Cardinals, its probably going to take some more time before he finds a solid role on the team, according to Cardinals outfielder Katie Woo. Paul DeJong - Wikipedia You have permission to edit this article. I thought hitting was good, but I wasn't in a flex spine position now I know I pushed it a little too far, so I need to back off.. 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 . So, back to Fridays game. 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. 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+. After that first hiccup, though, Holmes didnt allow a run the rest of the month. 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. Tommy Edman, the Cardinals regular starting shortstop, is not in manager Oliver Marmols starting lineup after he homered in the ninth inning on Saturday. He also hit just six home runs with 25 RBI across 77 games and 237 plate appearances. 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. 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 went 8 for 9 in save opportunities. Sent down to . THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. So whats next for DeJong? Paul DeJong Rumors - MLB Trade Rumors Youre never looking at rehabs solely on performance, but he has been playing well, Mozeliak said. Hed been fantastic since New York traded for him before the July 2021 trade deadline, and the Yankees expected to give him a season full of important outs, though not necessarily at the very end of ballgames. Andrew Knizner will be Flahertys batterymate as Willson Contreras is slotted into his regular five spot in the lineup as the Cardinals designated hitter. I would argue that outside of his often-cited, never duplicated rookie season, his former production levels arent all that exciting. He homered in the second game of the year, and then only had two extra-base hits both doubles the rest of the month. But his weakness is against right-handed pitching. Marmol said that the Cardinals want to see where things stand towards the end of DeJongs rehab assignment to make an official decision on the matter, as well as the former All-Stars future with the organization. I eased into it as time went on. DeJong was the subject of much speculation in the offseason, but the club stuck with him as its starting shortstop entering the season. Both Mozeliak and Marmol have said before that when Gorman is called up, it will be as an everyday player. 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. The Cardinals activated shortstop Paul DeJong on Sunday ahead of their road series finale against the Mariners. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. As we look forward to his 23 season, even in this very early season sample size, we can draw some notable parallels with his lamentable 22 season. Cardinals: Paul DeJong - The Downfall We Should Have Seen Coming Since hes been here, hes put together quality at-bats. I love the Cardinals fans, the Cardinals organization, my coaches and teammates, DeJong said. What Ive been impressed with is the pitches that hes swinging at, and hes laying off some really tough pitches. The ball will tell you whats going on. That move is expected to come late Saturday night or before Sundays game. Maybe they just really like a very likable player that theyve worked with for a decade and wanted to give him another chance? Dodgers third. DeJong, 28, has a murky future with the Cardinals after the season. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. However, DeJong may be close to making his way back. 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.. Which makes him a candidate to be traded or even designated for assignment. The Cardinals do not believe that DeJong's back injury is serious, but it is another setback. There was a problem saving your notification. But when you think about whats best for him, whats best for the organization and really this club right now, we found it was going to be difficult to get him at-bats and get right while were trying to win games at the major-league level.
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