MIAMI — Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak described himself as “encouraged” by where the club sat prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Marlins, given the projected everyday players who have not been on the field for large portions of this season.
Mozeliak, who joined the team on the road in Miami after spending time at the club’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, discussed how the team has handled its health issues with starting catcher Willson Contreras and projected left fielder Lars Nootbaar on the injured list and projected starting center fielder Tommy Edman not having played a game this season coming off wrist surgery.
Mozeliak also addressed the club’s current predicament with the fifth spot in its starting pitching rotation and how that may factor into its needs later this summer when the trade deadline approaches. Steven Matz’s status remains temporarily up in the air after his minor league rehab assignment has been put in a temporary holding pattern.
The Cardinals entered play Tuesday 36-35, a game above .500 for the first time since the first week of April. Since Mother’s Day (May 12), the Cardinals have gone 21-11, the third-best record in the majors.
“Like all seasons, you’re probably never as good as you want to be. But you’re probably not as bad as you feel you are at times,” Mozeliak told the Post-Dispatch. “I do feel like when you look at our everyday club with Contreras, Noot and Tommy Edman — in some combination of them — they’ve basically missed half our season.
“So to see us where we’ve been over the last month from an offensive standpoint, that’s been a lot more encouraging because we are pitching. The bullpen has been strong. We believe in our everyday defensive club. So I do feel like where we are right now is better than where it feels, and I am encouraged on the direction where we’re going.”
Contreras began a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Memphis. He served as the designated hitter and went 1 for 3 with a single and a strikeout. Contreras is scheduled to catch five innings for Memphis on Wednesday.
Asked if it’s realistic to think Contreras might join the club this coming week after the club returns to Ƶ after the current road trip, Mozeliak didn’t shoot down the idea.
“I would rule nothing out with him just because I would’ve ruled out him playing in a game on June 18 as impossible when it originally happened,” Mozeliak said. “It’s really what his comfort level is with timing and where he’s at. He’ll be more than an active participant in determining when his return play happens.”
Contreras had been the club’s most consistent player when he was hit by the swing of New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez and suffered a fractured forearm on May 7. In 31 games, Contreras slashed .280/.398/.551 with six home runs.
Edman went to the club’s spring training complex this week to continue his workouts, similar to a spring training progression. Edman is expected to return to Ƶ and resume working out with the club when the team returns to Busch Stadium. Edman has not yet begun a minor league rehab assignment.
Mozeliak said the likely scenario would be Nootbaar (oblique strain) returning in late June or early July and Edman returning shortly thereafter. How those players perform after they return will play a big part in how the Cardinals approach the trade deadline.
“I feel like a lot of people are already trying to engage on what the trading deadline may look like for the Ƶ Cardinals, and we’re still six weeks away,” Mozeliak said. “I feel like there’s a lot that can transpire between now and then. I think the most important thing is we have to worry about ourselves. Again, we are playing better baseball today than we were a month ago. That’s good news.”
On the pitching side, Matz had made three appearances on a rehab assignment since he went on the IL with a lower back strain on May 1.
Matz pitched three perfect innings in his latest appearance Sunday. However, he felt some lingering soreness in the days since. He’ll head to Los Angeles this week for a second medical opinion.
Since Matz’s injury, Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante have filled the gap in the starting rotation. Liberatore moved back to the bullpen when Pallante returned from the minors.
Liberatore went 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in three starts (10 innings) this season, compared with 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 21 appearances (24 innings) as a reliever.
Pallante has gone 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA in four starts (17⅓ innings).
“Overall, I think Pallante has done a nice job filling in,” Mozeliak said. “The bigger question really is what’s that going to look like for the remainder of the year, and that’s still a big question mark. As you can imagine, everybody is looking for pitching right now. It’s not going to be the easiest thing to just go out and get.
“But I’m certainly encouraged by how Pallante has gone. Obviously, he’ll get that next start. The following day is an off-day, so that does give you a little flexibility in how you use your bullpen. Long term, we’ve got to think through that. Steven Matz’s situation is still one that we don’t have resolution to. Hopefully, we have a little more clarity to what’s next for him in the next week or so. Time will tell.”
The Cardinals went into spring training seemingly bolstered by an increased depth in their starting pitching options after an additional year of seasoning in the majors and minors for left-hander Zack Thompson, more time experience in the minors for prospects Michael McGreevy and Gordon Craceffo as well as the acquisitions of left-hander Drew Rom and right-handers Adam Kloffenstein, Sem Robberse and Tekoah Roby in trades last summer.
However, Thompson has experienced a drop in velocity that the Cardinals have connected with his offseason weight loss. Rom had shoulder surgery earlier this season. Roby and top pitching prospect Tink Hence have not pitched above the Double-A level, and Robberse went on the IL this week with an elbow strain.
“In fairness, I think we went in feeling we had some depth,” Mozeliak said. “I think losing Rom was a big hit. Not saying that he would have been necessarily a savior, but he was someone that started games last year. I think he would have been protection.
“I think the question becomes, when you’re looking at development: Where’s McGreevy, Graceffo, Kloffenstein and Robberse? Those guys are all pitching, I’d say, a bit inconsistently at Triple-A. Those guys are on the verge of ultimately helping, but we do have some 40-man roster issues. We’re a little tight. I really would like to see more consistency out of that group before we have to make any decisions on them.”