Cardinals Release Four-Time Gold Glover After Announcing Major Roster Shakeup

St. Louis is making some changes

Jul 8, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium as the sunsets during the second inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are doing everything they can to get back into playoff contention, including making some roster adjustments along the way.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol has been scrambling around the roster recently to try and use platoon players for specific scenarios but that hasn't produced much thus far.

When all else fails, sometimes there's nothing left to do but clear up roster spots so that a promising prospect can be promoted and given a shot at the show.

On Tuesday, St. Louis announced the unconditional release of shortstop Brandon Crawford and optioned outfielder Jordan Walker to Triple-A Memphis. In a corresponding move, infielder Luken Baker was recalled from Triple-A Memphis and infielder Matt Carpenter was activated from the 10-day injured list.

Crawford was acquired last offseason to help National League Rookie of the Year candidate Masyn Winn improve at playing the shortstop position. The hope was that the four-time Gold Glove defender would teach the young infielder everything he knows and it seems he has accomplished that.

The 37-year-old only batted .169 with six extra-base hits including one home run, four RBIs and a .545 OPS in 29 games played for St. Louis this season. The three-time All-Star has been regressing for the last three seasons and it'll be interesting to see if he retires this winter.

Walker being demoted to the minors for a second time this season is a bit of a surprise as he was recently promoted to St. Louis, which many saw as another chance for him to return to the big league roster.

However, Marmol only used Walker as a platoon player and didn't give him much of an opportunity to re-make a name for himself in St. Louis. The 22-year-old played in four games and made 11 plate appearances while logging only one hit with three strikeouts, one walk and zero runs scored.

It'll be exciting to see what Baker can produce on offense, as he has been destroying the ball all season in the minors. The 27-year-old debuted in 2023 but struggled to hit, so hopefully, it will be different this time.

St. Louis needs a spark on offense but perhaps Carpenter's return and Baker's presence will help the lineup get things going again.

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