Cardinals promote another catcher to take Carpenter’s place
The St. Louis Cardinals Thursday promoted catcher Michael McKenry from the triple-A Memphis Redbirds to fill the roster spot vacated by injured second baseman Matt Carpenter.
Carpenter was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right oblique suffered in Wednesday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
McKenry was hitting .301 in 37 games in Memphis to go with five home runs and 29 runs batted in.
“We talked to the triple-A staff and development people about who might have the bat that would be closest to ready to help us,” said manager Mike Matheny. “We had a couple of different options, but McKenry has been here before and having that third catcher available in an emergency certainly helps.”
The Cardinals signed McKenry, 30, as a free agent on May 27. He is a six-year major league veteran who most recently spent two seasons in Colorado. In 57 games with the Rockies in 2014, he batted .315 with eight home runs.
He’s a career .239 hitter, all from the right side of the plate.
“I just want to do whatever I can do help. I’ll just keep my mouth shut and ears open and try to learn as much as I can about this pitching staff and from Yadi (Molina),” McKenry said. “When my number’s called I’ll do what I can. Today it was a bunt, which is a lot of fun. It’s been a while since I’ve done that.
“It’s a place I was really excited to come to when I signed. I’m happy to be here because the pedigree is outstanding, the people are outstanding and the fans, obviously, are bar-none.”
McKenry’s promotion puts three catchers on the Cardinals’ active roster.
Backup Brayan Pena was put back on the disabled list Wednesday with discomfort in the surgically repaired left knee that kept him out of uniform until just last week. His spot in the dugout was given to Alberto Rosario, a defensive specialist behind the plate who was hitting .281 in Memphis.
Matheny said McKenry may catch some and can be used at first base in a pinch, but that he was brought to St. Louis for his bat.
“I think you’re going to see him a role where he can step up and do some damage off the bench,” Matheny said. “He’s the kind of guy who has some pop in his bat.”
Grichuk keeps hitting
Randal Grichuk hit his ninth home run of the season in Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Pirates. The 441-foot shot off Pittsburgh starter Tyler Glasnow broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning.
Since being recalled from Memphis on Tuesday, Grichuk is 5-for-8 at the plate.
“I felt like the last couple of weeks when I was still up here that I couldn’t get my hands where I wanted there ...” Grichuck said. “Me and the hitting coach down there thought what I could do to be consistent, what felt good, and nothing really clicked. He thought of making little circles with your hands and that’s what clicked. I did it for about a week before I came back up and it feels good.”
In 15 games in Memphis, Grichuk hit .283 with five home runs and 15 RBIs. He’s raised his major league average from .206 to .222.
“I definitely needed it,” he said of his temporary triple-A demotion. “ It was a chance to go down there and relax a little bit, take a deep breath, step back start over and forget about what I did up here.”
Moss hobbled
Brandon Moss hobbled into the Cardinals’ clubhouse with crutches and wearing an orthopedic boot to stabilize his sprained left ankle.
The St. Louis first baseman/outfielder injured the foot running the bases in a Fourth of July loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.
Moss was leading the team with 17 home runs and had 40 RBIs.
He said he injured the same foot on the Fourth of July, 2014 as a player with the Oakland A’s.
“Maybe I shouldn’t play on the Fourth of July,” he said. “It hurts, but the boot keeps it from moving around too much. It’s annoying, but it’s a good thing.”
Peralta still out
Jhonny Peralta was out of the lineup for the second day in a row with a sore left thumb — the same thumb that kept him out of uniform until mid-June. Matheny says the third baseman was still considered day-to-day.
“We’re still being cautious,” he said. “Everything we’ve seen has been very positive to this point.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2016 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Cardinals promote another catcher to take Carpenter’s place."