The St. Louis Cardinals might get a reinforcement as they attempt to avoid a three-game sweep of their interleague series against the host Seattle Mariners on Sunday afternoon.
Shortstop Paul DeJong, who hasn’t played in the majors this season because of a lower back injury, has completed a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Memphis and could be activated for the series finale.
“When you’re putting a player on rehab, it’s about: ‘Do you feel good? Have you recovered from your injury? And have you gotten ample amount of playing time to be prepared when called upon?'” said John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations.
“Physically he stated he had been feeling good, really since he got to Memphis. And from a performance standpoint, he’s been playing every day and responding well.”
DeJong went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and six RBIs Friday for Memphis, raising his batting average to .353 in nine games for the Redbirds.
“You’re never looking at rehabs solely on performance, but he has been playing well,” Mozeliak said.
DeJong was an All-Star in 2019, a season in which he hit 30 home runs. He struggled through an injury- and illness-plagued 2020 and then batted just .197 in 2021.
He was demoted to the minors after a slow start last season and batted .157 in 77 major-league games, prompting swing changes in the offseason.
“This league is hard up here, and he’ll be tested,” Mozeliak said. “We felt like we’d get him moving and determine what’s next for him.”
The Cardinals lost the series opener 5-2 Friday night, then dropped a 5-4 decision Saturday as Seattle’s Jarred Kelenic and Teoscar Hernandez hit home runs and Eugenio Suarez added a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 3-all tie.
“He doesn’t panic. He doesn’t try to do too much,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Suarez. “He’s a great guy to have up in those spots. He doesn’t always come through — nobody always comes through — but you’re going to get a good at-bat. He’s going to get his best swing off, and that’s what he did.”
The Cardinals scored more runs (three) against Mariners ace Luis Castillo than he had allowed in four previous starts this season combined (two). Tommy Edman’s solo homer in the ninth inning was the lone run they managed against Seattle’s bullpen.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of Castillo. “Not many teams get seven hits and put up three runs on him, so I thought our guys did a really nice job.”
The Mariners have had an up-and-down homestand, sweeping a three-game series against Colorado before losing three straight to Milwaukee. Now they have a chance for another sweep.
Sunday’s finale is scheduled to feature a pair of right-handers in St. Louis’ Jack Flaherty (1-2. 2.95 ERA) and Seattle’s Chris Flexen (0-3, 7.79). Flaherty is 0-0 with a 7.71 ERA in one previous start against the Mariners; Flexen is 0-2, 10.13 in two appearances against the Cardinals, with one start.
–Field Level Media
