Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Add Red-Hot Slugging Prospect By Designating Veteran For Assignment

St. Louis made a quality move to bolster their roster

Scott Neville

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The St. Louis Cardinals made a move to add some pop to the lineup by adding a slugger who has waited a long time to hear his name called.

After a surge last month where the Cardinals started to look like the team they were expected to be, St. Louis is struggling once again and could use some adjustments as they sit in last place of the National League Central.

The Cardinals called up first baseman Luken Baker to the active roster, who will make his major league debut on Sunday. To make room for Baker, St. Louis designated catcher Tres Barrera for assignment. 

This move was a smart one, as Barrera was just taking up room on the roster. Despite being on the roster for 28 consecutive days, the 28-year-old only appeared in six games with two plate appearances.

Baker will look to provide a jolt to the offense after a breakout start for Triple-A Memphis. The 26-year-old hit .313 with 29 extra-base hits and an incredible 18 home runs with 53 RBIs and a 1.075 OPS in 54 games.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound hulking first baseman will have a chance to assume the designated hitter role while providing a similar level of power he possessed in Springfield.

The offense has not been the issue this year but the Cardinals might need to form a juggernaut just to offset the lackluster pitching staff. Until the trade deadline, that might just be the best route to keep the season alive.

More MLB: These Five Cubs Players Could Be Cardinals Trade Targets If Firesale Occurs

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu