Standing in front of his locker on his first day back with his former team, newly acquired Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham shared what he knew about the role he expects to fill upon his return to ºüÀêÊÓƵ and followed that with what he hopes for in the bigger picture.
“(Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol) said I’d play against lefties and get me in there against some righties,†Pham said. “You guys know me: I’m going to try to play my way in there (and be) in the lineup every day.â€
Pham was one of three Cardinals acquisitions before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. He and starter Erick Fedde were acquired by the Cardinals from the White Sox in a three-team deal that sent utilityman Tommy Edman and a 17-year-old pitching prospect from the Cardinals to the Dodgers.
Since being dealt from the Cardinals to the Rays in 2018, Pham has played for the Rays, Reds, Red Sox, Mets and Diamondbacks. He signed as a free agent with the White Sox near the end of April after he, as a Diamondbacks trade deadline acquisition, was a key contributor in helping Arizona reach the World Series.
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“I was excited. The first thought was, ‘Man, I got to get my number (28) from Nolan (Arenado),’†Pham, who will wear No. 29, joked about his return. “... Me and Fedde walked into the locker room around the same time and we both got the news right there and we were like, ‘Oh, two Vegas boys are going to ºüÀêÊÓƵ.’â€
Back in what he called his “old stomping ground,†Pham adds a right-handed presence to a Cardinals lineup that entered Tuesday ranked 29th in the majors in both batting average (.225) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.633) vs. left-handers.
In 61 plate appearances against left-handers this season, Pham has batted .255 and produced an .848 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). For his career, Pham owns a .270 average and an .834 OPS against lefties.
Marmol said there are right-on-right matchups in which he sees Pham being an option.
As trade rumors swirled, Pham, who can play all three outfield spots, said he didn’t think landing back in ºüÀêÊÓƵ would happen. He added that “anything could happen,†referencing a similar feeling last year before he was dealt to Arizona.
The 2006 draftee had visited the Cardinals complex in Jupiter, Florida, this past spring training with a return in mind after injuries hit the Cardinals outfield. He said he kept “pushing the needle†on a return but respected the Cardinals’ decision at the time.
Now back with the club with which he first hit an MLB field, Pham sees a chance to do “something special.â€
“I believe we’re seven games out the division and we play a lot of good teams in front of us, so the opportunity to kind of control our destiny and shake things up, I guess, in baseball is exciting to me,†he said.
McGreevy slated to make debut
The Cardinals plan to promote pitching prospect Michael McGreevy and have the right-hander start Wednesday’s series finale against the Rangers, the Post-Dispatch’s Lynn Worthy confirmed.
The start would be McGreevy’s first as a major leaguer. Across 20 starts in Class AAA, the 24-year-old McGreevy is 5-7 with a 4.45 ERA and has 96 strikeouts in 109⅓ innings for Memphis. McGreevy was the Cardinals’ first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2021 MLB draft.
McGreevy’s start will allow the Cardinals to give an extra day of rest for each of their starters amid a stretch of 16 games in 16 days before they have a scheduled off-day on Aug. 11. Marmol said his club plans to return to a five-man rotation after McGreevy’s spot start.
After Wednesday, the Cardinals plan to have Sonny Gray start on Thursday in the series opener vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Trade deadline acquisition Erick Fedde is expected to start on Friday, with Kyle Gibson to follow on Saturday and Miles Mikolas set for Sunday.
Prospect assignments
Infield prospect JJ Wetherholt, the Cardinals’ top pick in this year’s draft, began his professional career on Tuesday with a start at shortstop for Class Low-A Palm Beach.
Wetherholt, who debuted on Tuesday, was one of nine 2024 draftees assigned to Low-A.
- Outfielder Chase Davis, the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2023, was promoted from Class Low-A to Class High-A. The first promotion of Davis’ minor league career comes after the 22-year-old batted .232 with eight home runs and a .738 OPS in 74 games with Palm Beach.
- Outfielder Moises Gomez was released after struggles with Class AAA Memphis. Gomez, who set the Cardinals single-season minor league record with 39 home runs in 2022, batted .208 with 55 strikeouts in 41 games with Memphis.
- Outfielder Joshua Baez, a second-round pick from the 2021 draft, was reassigned from Class High-A to Class Low-A and was placed on the development list after he batted .225 with 97 strikeouts in 71 games in High-A. The development list designation allows Baez, 21, to stay with the Palm Beach club but not count on its active roster. The reassignment will also allow him to train at the club’s complex in Jupiter.