Injuries: Jon Jay set for rehab assingment

The St. Louis Cardinals have received some great news as young, solid center fielder Jon Jay has been cleared to begin his rehab assignment. Jay will start playing minor league ball on Wednesday at Triple-A Memphis, and the 27-year-old will likely join the team at the end of the month.

Jon Jay has been on the disabled list for a while now and only played in 27 games before being placed on the DL in mid-May. He was playing well before the injury, as the 27-year-old had a .395 OBP. Jay is recovering from that shoulder sprain, and the Cardinals will hope he will be able to return before the calender flips to July.

Last season, he showed a high amount of potential in 503 plate appearances in his second full season with significant at-bats. Jay played some average defense and matched his wRC+ in 2010 with a 112 total. He has been worth 1.2 WAR this season and is one pace to be worth about 3 WAR again. Jon Jay plays above-average defense in center, and that’s something that cannot be overlooked.

Having a solid bat for the position and being able to get on base at a high rate are two crucial things, and Jay is able to do both. He is a valuable component for one of the best teams in baseball, so the news that he is able to start rehab assignments after beginning to take batting practice and run the bases over the weekend is both great and encouraging news for the team.

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