(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 ball will tell you whats going on. DeJong played college baseball for the Redbirds which is . The change in his batted ball data is your muse. 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. Hes going to get some work at shortstop pregame. TV: Bally Sports Midwest 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 . Its those old habits that I want to take a look at today. The Cardinals must make a roster move to activate DeJong, and the team is still weighing that decision. Of the four hits he allowed, two here homers. In his return to the lineup, DeJong will hit ahead of rookie Jordan Walker, who got a day off on Saturday and is batting .271 with 11 RBIs in 19 games to start his MLB career. DeJong talks about comeback with Cardinals in 2022 | ksdk.com Tommy Edman was shifted over to re-learn short and excelled there defensively. 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. He made his MLB debut in 2017. Try to pull the ball more. 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. 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. Paul DeJong hasnt had a season with a batting average better than .200 since 2020 when he hit .250. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Unfortunately, the injury to his back derailed him and cost him some time in Grapefruit League play. I knew if I did my job down there, I would get a chance back up here. He is also passionate about music, cats, and South Park. But which former are we talking about? I love the Cardinals fans, the Cardinals organization, my coaches and teammates, DeJong said. 4 Cardinals Players Who Need Bounce Back Seasons 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. He ended up with just 40 PAs at Memphis. His homerun per flyball rate was 23.9% a high rate built on offense-oriented minor league ballparks and developing pitchers with sketchy command. Willing to give DeJong another chance? 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 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. Odds and lines subject to change. 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. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. Youre never looking at rehabs solely on performance, but he has been playing well, Mozeliak said. DeJong, meanwhile, was tasked with getting his career back on track in the minors. 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. Paul DeJong was lost with St. Louis Cardinals and came to - Yahoo And it would backfire on him. Throw Kramer Robertson in there, too, if you want. 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 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. 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. Paul DeJong steps into opportunity he might have 'dreaded' before and 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. For me, its about breaking every situation down and not getting ahead of myself, DeJong said. He hit just .157 to go along with a lackluster .530 OPS through 77 games with St. Louis. 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. DeJong is expected to join Memphis in Norfolk, Va., within a couple of days. 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. Then we want him to get into a routine that hes comfortable and that he believes in.. MORE:Cardinals bolster pitching staff in deadline deal with Pirates for Quintana. But, again, in Memphis. Winn, Wednesdays starter, is batting .276 with an .870 OPS this spring. 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. In AAA, his combined fly ball and infield fly ball rate was 65%. But his offense was 20 percentage points below where he started. The Cardinals decided to call up Robertson and leave Gorman in Memphis for a multitude of reasons, with the top priority being playing time. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. Tired of DeJong? Dodgers third. Zachary Silver. 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.. Latest on St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN 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. Try to go the other way. Which makes him a candidate to be traded or even designated for assignment. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. In 2018 he slashed .241/.313/.433 in 490 plate appearances and in his All-Star campaign in 2019 he slashed .233/.318/.444 . 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. Check back in at stltoday.comthroughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of the game. He played college baseball at the Illinois State University. 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. Even over a small number of PAs. . Paul DeJong - Age, Bio, Personal Life, Family & Stats - CelebsAges And doing it against AAA pitchers is meaningless. Despite the All-Star appearance, and the 30-homer season. Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Cardinals. You have permission to edit this article. Is he back as a different player? For Marmol, both elements of DeJongs game carry equal weight. I cant do normal things right now, so it's definitely not playable. 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. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the position of shortstop and was drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft in the fourth round. 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. Weve seen BABIP-fueled power surges from him before. Paul DeJong back in lineup for Cardinals - MLB Sosa recorded two hits in a rehab assignment for Double-A Springfield on Tuesday and will be in the lineup once more on Wednesday. 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. I thought Clay threw the ball a lot better and was in command of what he was doing, for the most part.". His K and BB rates fit those as well. Still, Mozeliak is hesitant to act on an impulse without at least vetting other options. At least not very often. But the math wasnt going to work. We cant if Tommys at second, and we dont want to just move Tommy over there without a strategic plan for that transition.. This game is about production, Mozeliak said. He went 8 for 9 in save opportunities. El Nio is likely coming back. Could Paul DeJong provide a 94 wRC+ or better against primarily right-handed pitchers while giving Edman time off to stay fresh defensively? DeJongs 20-day rehab stint was set to expire on Tuesday, but the team felt comfortable promoting him earlier because of his improved health and the groove he has been in at the plate. And from a performance standpoint, hes been playing every day and responding well.. It's a fine line between competing and working on stuff, Woodford said. He hit fewer fly balls. (Photo: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images). Heres a simple rule that Ive followed in player analysis: players dont change later in their careers. I believe he (or someone like him) has a necessary role to play on this club. He went three for four with a homer and no Ks. 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.. Thats not nearly enough time to accurately evaluate any change in DeJongs performance or potential. However, the flashy rookie had his troubles with Verlander on Wednesday, striking out in each of his first two plate appearances. 'Those are never easy conversations': After optioning Paul DeJong Paul DeJong Stats, News, Bio | ESPN 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. DeJong hit just .197 in 2021 and was sent down to the minors last season. Memphis manager Ben Johnson, who guided the Triple-A Cardinals to a 12th straight victory on Saturday, feels DeJong is ready to make a difference at the MLB level with his steady demeanor and solid plate approach. Eligibility restrictions apply. Me? Hes considerably better against righties than lefties. 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. Im sorry this has happened. 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. 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. 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. 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. The past did not dictate the present. This league is hard up here, and hell be tested. He is the winner of the 2019 All-Star award. The competition for the right-handed bench bat remains wide open. Yet through the last two seasons, DeJong hasnt been able to regain that form. 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. Paul was on fire and had a great day on [Friday], Johnson said. I fully commend DeJong for trying something new and for his willingness to put in the work to change. Cardinals Option Paul DeJong To Triple-A, Select Kramer Robertson 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 . When he's not writing sports articles, you can find him playing MLB The Show, watching Cardinals games, and scrolling through Star Wars memes. In June, Holmes allowed one earned run and three walks and struck out 12 in 12 innings. When the St. Louis Cardinals optioned Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis, the domino effect immediately followed. 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. Help us maintain a respectful and inclusive community. He returned in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, batting 7th and playing shortstop to give Tommy Edman a needed day off. Arenado and ONeill scored, and the Cardinals suddenly led 4-3. He homered in the second game of the year, and then only had two extra-base hits both doubles the rest of the month. The combination would be another collapse. 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. 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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. 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.. ", In July, Holmes made his first All-Star team. Those realities hid trouble coming. I can't touch my toes. Evaluating Paul DeJong's future with the St. Louis Cardinals And for one at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning of a contest between the Yankees and Cardinals, the result was anything but subtle. Its a small sample size, of course, but its an encouraging start since it is something he struggled with in the minors. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. If Sosa doesnt seize the opportunity, Edman may be forced to slot over to shortstop and refine his skills on the fly. The Yankees led 3-2. With 1.5 years left on his six-year, $26 million contract, it feels rather improbable that he sees extended time in the majors with St. Louis. And those pitches will be on the black in challenge counts and with incredible break and spin. Have you recovered from your injury? 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. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. Third baseman Nolan Arenado, who normally hits behind Goldschmidt, will bat behind Gorman. Paul DeJong Biography- MLB player, Salary, Earnings, Net worth, Married I feel like collectively, as an organization, we were positive and patient through that process. Tommy Edman has a 94 career wRC+ against right-handed pitchers as a lefty batter. He would learn to walk more topping out at 9.8% in 20. DeJong, a former All-Star, struggled mightily last year. What DeJong has been most of the season was not what he was Friday night. 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. "Earlier in the year, I might have dreaded an opportunity like that, but now I'm thankful for an opportunity like that, after everything thats happened this year," he said. 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.. His walk rate would likely stay the same, if only because he wasnt seeing balls in the zone. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 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. In May, DeJong played just eight games for the Cardinals, batting .115 with a .297 OPS. He saw fewer and fewer pitches in the zone. 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. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team plans to activate DeJong soon, possibly as early as this weekend. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. Undoubtedly, DeJong's 2018 and 2019 seasons with the club were his best. Instead, DeJong has spent the spring hampered by minor injuries. The at-bats just looked the same, he explained. When youre putting a player on rehab, its about: Do you feel good? I think theres an adjustment to be made both physically and mentally, he added. DeJong, 28, has a murky future with the Cardinals after the season. Unfortunately, that's not the way things worked out.. Get viral MLB graphics, memes, rumors and trending news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter. DeJongs last rehab game in Memphis was a six-RBI performance that included a single, double, and a home run on Friday. There was a problem saving your notification. ST. LOUIS In a move that was sensible but nevertheless surprising, the Cardinals optioned former All-Star shortstop Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, citing a need for the 28-year-old to reset amidst another abysmal offensive stretch to open the season. 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. I mean, we knew that once we were going to explore other options at short, that this wasnt a move where you just play the other guy and Paul sits on the bench. The Cardinals couldnt justify waiting any longer. 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. 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. His HR/FB rate was 25%. His power never returned to his rookie form and his poor contact ability tanked his BABIP. 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. He and Tommy Edman were also taking reps at shortstop before batting practice. 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.. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 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. He has struck out 11 times, which is 26.8 percent of the time, and that is a number that is far too high. Paul Sterling DeJong (born August 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). In July, DeJong was hit with a pitch and missed a few weeks. This is a truth proven over and over again on a nightly basis, of course, in ways both subtle and obvious. 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. Infielder who was a fourth round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. The 29-year-old baseball player was born in Orlando, Florida, USA. DeJong has started in his place over the last three games. Nolan Arenado (infield single) was on second base, Tyler ONeill (walk) was on first. He wasnt guaranteed anything. I'm not reinventing my pitches, or trying to change anything drastically with my arsenal. 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. "I had faith that I would make my return," DeJong told The Sporting News after the game Friday. 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. The Cardinals would prefer to stay away from using Gorman as a role player, unlike Donovan, Robertson and Lars Nootbaar. In a move long overduethough jarring, nonethelessthe Cardinals demoted Paul DeJong, optioning the shortstop to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. DeJong had missed the last few games due to lower back tightness but was targeting a return to game action by Tuesday. You would be hard-pressed to find two players following more divergent paths in the 2022 season. 2 prospect in St. Louis' system, per MLB Pipeline. Generally speaking, a player that has been what hes been for a few thousand plate appearances is far more likely to remain what hes been than become something else. 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. (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. Wainwright made a rehab appearance on Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and completed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. During the offseason, I argued that DeJong would likely be traded. In 18 and 19, DeJong showed some signs of maturity all while seeing his overall offensive production drop. 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. He finally had one hiccup outing but cruised into the break with a 1.31 ERA. Following an injury- and illness-filled 2020, DeJong clubbed 19 home runs in '21, but he lost his starting job to Edmundo Sosa. Both Mozeliak and Marmol have said before that when Gorman is called up, it will be as an everyday player. He was sent to Triple-A in 2022 after batting .130 through 24 games into the season. But I just got to keep going. Gorman will start at second and bat third behind leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. This doesnt mean the Cardinals will not call up Gorman. His expected slugging percentage (.268) didnt fare much better, coming in at the bottom 2 percent. He made his MLB debut in May 2017 and was named July's NL Rookie of the Month that same season. 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. Tommys having an incredible season for us right now at second, Mozeliak said. Rodriguez did not allow a hit or walk in the outing and needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to complete the outing. Hes struck out just 11. He wasn't much better last . 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. Then, when Sosa was moved, DeJong returned to the majors to give it another go. He was sent out as Brendan Donovans play began to demand a starters workload. He was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and originates from Northern California. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. 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. Its something that we the last couple of days have really been agonizing over, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said from the Cardinals dugout on Tuesday.