Cardinals Have Surprising Option Who Could Help Big League Club

The Cardinals have plenty of options at their disposal right now

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have made a handful of tough decisions already.

St. Louis has started to trim down the roster and recently sent infielder Michael Helman, infielder Thomas Saggese, and outfielder Matt Koperniak down to the minors among others, per the team.

"INF Michael Helman, INF Thomas Saggese, and OF Matt Koperniak have been optioned to Memphis (AAA)," the team announced. "The following players have been re-assigned to minor league camp: RHPs Michael Gomez and Andre Granillo, Cs Gavin Collins, Wade Stauss, Chance Sisco and Yohel Pozo, INFs César Prieto and RJ Yeager, and OFs Nathan Church and Ryan Vilade. Our Major League camp roster now stands at 31 players."

One guy who is still with the Cardinals and could be a solid option for the big league roster is Jose Barrero.

He's a former elite prospect of the Cincinnati Reds but he hasn't hasn't had the success at the big league level as was likely expected. While this is the case, he's just 26 years old and would be a great option off the bench for St. Louis.

Barrero can play in the infield and has spent time in center field throughout his young big league career. He signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals and has been fighting for a spot with the big league club. He's appeared in 20 games so far in Spring Training and is slashing .222/.282/.417 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

With Masyn Winn scratched on Tuesday, it could make even more sense to have Barrero has a backup option on the big league roster. It seems like an easy move.

More MLB: Is Cardinals 2-Time All-Star In Line For Major Turnaround?