when is paul dejong coming back

Yeah, it's not ideal, Marmol said after the Cards' 4-1 win over the Mets on Wednesday. Depending on the quality of that player, the Cardinals would have at best broken even and likely would have had to add payroll to make the trade and cover their butts positionally. 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 . 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. 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. Thats the role DeJong is being asked to fill, even if hes being paid starters money. The 29-year-old baseball player was born in Orlando, Florida, USA. Sent down to . He has 1967 plate appearances of 92 wRC+ since his rookie season. Tommys having an incredible season for us right now at second, Mozeliak said. 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. In July, DeJong was hit with a pitch and missed a few weeks. 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An outfield in flux. Nolan Arenado (infield single) was on second base, Tyler ONeill (walk) was on first. 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. This is a truth proven over and over again on a nightly basis, of course, in ways both subtle and obvious. Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong fouls a ball off his left foot while taking batting practice on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at the club's spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. (CT) at T-Mobile Park. The result was a league-average player with improving defense. DeJong, 28, has a murky future with the Cardinals after the season. Still, Mozeliak is hesitant to act on an impulse without at least vetting other options. Subscribe with this special offer to keep reading, (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). (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. While Marmol declined the notion there was a set timetable for when the organization would like to see progress from DeJong, there was also a growing sense that the clock was ticking. Prior to joining The Athletic, Katie spent two years covering the minor leagues as an editorial producer for MiLB.com and spent the 2018 MLB season covering the San Diego Padres as an associate reporter for MLB.com. The clubs first-round Draft pick in 2015, Woodford emerged as a valuable depth arm in 2022, pitching to a 2.23 ERA across 48 1/3 innings in a versatile role. Those are never easy conversations, Marmol said. I have always wanted to make everyone proud and I plan on coming back stronger than ever.. He hit just .157 to go along with a lackluster .530 OPS through 77 games with St. Louis. When he's not writing sports articles, you can find him playing MLB The Show, watching Cardinals games, and scrolling through Star Wars memes. Hes struck out just 11. 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. (. Arenado and ONeill scored, and the Cardinals suddenly led 4-3. Its a revitalized feeling.. He was never very good at recognizing and driving non-fastballs. DeJong smashed it the other way, and the ball rattled around in the right-field corner. He busted out quickly and then tanked again. In June, Holmes allowed one earned run and three walks and struck out 12 in 12 innings. DeJong was the subject of much speculation in the offseason, but the club stuck with him as its starting shortstop entering the season. The at-bats just looked the same, he explained. DeJong's +1 DRS tells a slightly different story than his -3 . DeJong had missed the last few games due to lower back tightness but was targeting a return to game action by Tuesday. Paul DeJong is a professional baseball player who is currently playing in the Major League Baseball(MLB). Im sorry this has happened. The combination would be another collapse. Do more work off the tee. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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.. 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 . But we passed exciting up a long time ago. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Willing to give DeJong another chance? 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. Obviously, its still very early in the season. The Cardinals do not believe that DeJong's back injury is serious, but it is another setback. You would be hard-pressed to find two players following more divergent paths in the 2022 season. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. The . And it would backfire on him. He still hit a high percentage of his fly balls out of the park. I think that theres, fundamentally, things that are different, Mozeliak said, referencing defensive positioning on shifts and longer throws across the diamond. 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. 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. With 10 days remaining until the Cardinals open the regular season March 30, the team acknowledges time is running out for DeJong to heal and ramp up for Opening Day. His expected slugging percentage (.268) didnt fare much better, coming in at the bottom 2 percent. 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. Is he back as a different player? 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. 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.. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards. In May, Holmes did not allow a single run. His setback will require at least a week of rehab, meaning DeJong will all but surely start the season on the injured list. Pitchers stopped throwing him (and other hitters like him) fastballs. But, again, in Memphis. Its hard for me to say that anything worked. On Twitter, Cardinals insider Jeff Jones provided an update on where things stand and revealed what manager Oli Marmol had to say about the matter. His walk rate would likely stay the same, if only because he wasnt seeing balls in the zone. Paul DeJong is back. What will happen when he starts seeing even more breaking and offspeed pitches than in the past? All indications are that he worked in the offseason to improve, simplify his batting approach, and try to get himself back to his former production levels. DeJong is back. 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. However, I remain skeptical that the changes he says hes made will have any significant impact on his performance at the Major League level over the long haul. The Cardinals couldnt justify waiting any longer. 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. 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. When youre putting a player on rehab, its about: Do you feel good? In 2017 DeJong hit .285/.325/.532 with 25 homers in 443 PAs and a 123 wRC+. Yes, he put more balls into play and his slash line was reminiscent of his more average MLB seasons. In his career, DeJong has shown reverse splits. 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. In May, DeJong played just eight games for the Cardinals, batting .115 with a .297 OPS. Despite all those accolades that the broadcasters like to remind us of, DeJong has not been a good Major League hitter since his first few months in the Majors. He did not allow a single walk. Of the four hits he allowed, two here homers. 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.. 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. So I'm going to have to back off until I feel like I can flex my spine and rotate it. With two on and two out in the bottom of the eighth, the Yankees held a one-run lead. 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. 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. The Cardinals must make a roster move to activate DeJong, and the team is still weighing that decision. His rookie-season production over a relatively small sample size hid disturbing flaws. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. The shortstop, who was demoted to Triple-A last year following two-plus seasons of hitting struggles, homered in his first game back with the Cardinals on July 30. Both Mozeliak and Marmol have said before that when Gorman is called up, it will be as an everyday player. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. 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. Updated: 10:27 PM CDT August 8, 2022. If Woodfords performance is any indication, it shouldn't be him. During his rehab assignment, Paul DeJong (back) batted .302 and produced a .900 OPS in 12 games between Class Low-A and Class AAA. He wasn't much better last . She is a graduate of Arizona State University and originates from Northern California. We have even seen batters try to switch sides. He was optioned to Triple A last May after hitting .130 over the first 24 games . Paul Sterling DeJong (born August 2, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). That K rate is your soapbox. Weve seen BABIP-fueled power surges from him before. 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. DeJong will share the middle infield on Sunday with Nolan Gorman. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 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. Rodriguez did not allow a hit or walk in the outing and needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to complete the outing. Cardinals 2, Dodgers 2. 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. Paul DeJong's age is 29. Wainwright is scheduled to make a second rehab start with Springfield, which will come on the road at Wichita. Clay Holmes was on the mound for the visitors. Thats pretty good for a 23-year-old shortstop. April 22nd, 2023. As you can imagine, the pressure of playing at this level, especially in this city where winning is demanded, its tough. 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. 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. 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. DeJong has started in his place over the last three games. And the Cardinals talked a lot about how he had to compete for his spot on the roster out of Spring Training. 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. Across a span of eight games to open May, DeJong went 3-for-26. Hes going to get some work at shortstop pregame. But the back issue flared up Tuesday, preventing DeJong from fully bending down to field grounders. He had been scheduled to return to action Tuesday, before experiencing the setback Monday morning trying to backhand a ground ball and simulate his throwing motion. I guess in the back of my mind, I felt like I wasn't fully there, DeJong said. I'm not reinventing my pitches, or trying to change anything drastically with my arsenal. The change in his batted ball data is your muse. This league is hard up here, and hell be tested. He is the winner of the 2019 All-Star award. In the process, hes outpitched Hudson considerably. He finished the 2022 season with a poor .157 average. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. 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 . Winn, Wednesdays starter, is batting .276 with an .870 OPS this spring. June 11th, 2021. Mozeliak said the club made the decision to promote DeJong on Friday afternoon, but the logistics of joining the Cardinals in Seattle during their 10-game road trip complicated matters a bit. DeJong went 3-for-4 with a home run against the Seattle Mariners on Monday in his first game back from a back injury to help the Cardinals score a 7-3 victory on the road. Even though the past can provide hints and suggestions as to what might happen, the past does not absolutely dictate the future. RHP Adam Wainwright (groin): Wainwright made a rehab appearance on Wednesday with Class AA Springfield and completed three innings, allowing two runs on four hits. 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. DeJong, meanwhile, was tasked with getting his career back on track in the minors. 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. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. So, Im really looking forward to Paul going up and helping our club.. They didn't quite have in mind the . ", In July, Holmes made his first All-Star team. He also dabbles in college hoops and other sports. 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. He was sent out as Brendan Donovans play began to demand a starters workload. 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. As a result, Taylor Motter was selected to be the Cardinals utility infielder out of spring training. Then I started working through the budget. The pitcher with the 1.77 ERA vs. the hitter with the .140 average in 2022. Losing focus of what Im doing has been my biggest enemy. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the position of shortstop and was drafted in the 2015 MLB Draft in the fourth round. Its about sticking with things moment to moment. 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. He has struck out 11 times, which is 26.8 percent of the time, and that is a number that is far too high. He cut down on his Ks in 18 and 19. He missed the beginning of the campaign with a back injury but has started four of the . He has 813 plate appearances of 77 wRC+ this decade. 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. 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. Or if it was just the natural evolution of DeJongs swing. 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. 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. He also hit just six home runs with 25 RBI across 77 games and 237 plate appearances. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. 2 prospect in St. Louis' system, per MLB Pipeline. ST. LOUIS What a major league baseball player was yesterday is not necessarily what he is today. Try to pull the ball more. 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. 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. @ JohnDenton555. Next. While his crisp defense bought him an extended leash to figure things out at the plate, by Tuesday morning the organization had come to the decision to send DeJong to the minors. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. I know youll demand an opinion of me, so Ill offer this: the club needs DeJong to be playable. 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. 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. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. Check back in at stltoday.comthroughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of the game. Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. But its highly possible that DeJong has played his last game in St. Louis, which would be the latest sign that the Cardinals middle infield of the future will feature Edman at shortstop and Gorman at second base. Hes considerably better against righties than lefties. What DeJong has been most of the season was not what he was Friday night. Our hope was he would get a decent amount of at-bats, especially with [starter Tommy] Edman going to the [World Baseball Classic]. dark. He returned in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, batting 7th and playing shortstop to give Tommy Edman a needed day off. He hit more line drives than usual. I thought Clay threw the ball a lot better and was in command of what he was doing, for the most part.". His contact levels would drop again. But his weakness is against right-handed pitching. Latest on St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN I would expect the playing for (Paul DeJong) to fluctuate, and to resemble what Oli Marmol has been doing in the outfield, Woo said. RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.95 ERA): The last time Flaherty took the mound for the Cardinals, he threw a season-high six innings and allowed a season-high four runs on four hits against Arizona on April 17. In that start, Flaherty retired 10 consecutive batters from the second through the fifth innings. Instead, DeJong has spent the spring hampered by minor injuries. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Holmes unleashed a 95 mph sinker that caught a little too much of the plate. DeJong had begun spring training on a good note after reworking his swing in the offseason. The Cardinals would likely have to take a loss on the deal, but I didnt see any way that they would bring him back. 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. Instead, the expectation is Gorman will face off against right-handed starting pitching, either as the designated hitter or at second base. Instead, DeJong faltered to the point where Mozeliak had no choice but to demote him. What made it noteworthy was that it was DeJong's 9th home run in the last 12 games. Obviously, he worked really hard this offseason to address certain things with his swing. DeJong slugged .390 in 2021, compared with .286 this . Hes not giving away at-bats and has a really selective eye at the plate. He started to hit home runs with much more regularity, though, including six in a nine-game stretch that also included 18 RBIs. Heres a simple rule that Ive followed in player analysis: players dont change later in their careers. I dont think its a bad thing for him to pull the ball more. 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. Thats not asking that much of him. What worked for DeJong during his long period in Memphis? He finally had one hiccup outing but cruised into the break with a 1.31 ERA. Its probably a combination of all three. Maybe they just really like a very likable player that theyve worked with for a decade and wanted to give him another chance? He went three for four with a homer and no Ks. His highest HR/FB% in the majors 19.8% came during his rookie year. I think all those things translate to the Major League level. For Marmol, both elements of DeJongs game carry equal weight. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team plans to activate DeJong soon, possibly as early as this weekend. CHICAGO -- The ever-sturdy, ever-reliable Paul DeJong has been such a constant in Cardinals lineups since he debuted in 2017 that the club has stressed the need to simply find their shortstop a breather over the course of this campaign and those of the past. Thats worrisome. 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. DeJong, who hit at least 19 home runs in each . I do think other teams had some interest; he could have been moved. He will be reevaluated after that start and would be considered for a return to the majors. DeJong, now 29 with five years of MLB service time, homered in his first big league at-bat in Colorado back in 2017. 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. He went 8 for 9 in save opportunities. Paul DeJong was at bat for the home club. I fully commend DeJong for trying something new and for his willingness to put in the work to change. Will it last? So, back to Fridays game. They all try a lot of things. The hope is that the move to Triple A will alleviate some of the pressure that had been accumulating since late last season, when DeJong lost his starting job to Edmundo Sosa. "When I first got down there, I was anticipating when I would be coming back, but as time went on I was just focusing on playing the game down there. The righty is expected to throw around 75 pitches in the outing. Tommy Edman has a 94 career wRC+ against right-handed pitchers as a lefty batter. Back from IL, Paul DeJong starts at shortstop as Cardinals close series vs. Mariners: First Pitch. It was going to be a move where he went down. He was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2015 MLB draft. Making his caseA day after Dakota Hudson took a step backward in the battle for the Cardinals sixth starter/swingman job, right-hander Jake Woodford may have sealed his case to head north with the team in that spot. What does that mean for Calif.? His second and third at-bats resulted in bloop singles at 75.7 and 69.5 mph, respectively. 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.

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