St. Louis Cardinals: Carson Kelly injury suddenly leaves Cards short behind plate
Considered a luxury before the season for the St. Louis Cardinals to have top catching prospect Carson Kelly behind durable long-time starter Yadier Molina, the team now has neither after Kelly was put on the DL on Thursday
The St. Louis Cardinals may soon be holding open tryouts with a sign posted stating “Have catcher’s mitt? Have mask? Inquire within!” Thursday, the Cardinals revealed that they will be placing Carson Kelly on the disabled list with starter Yadier Molina already shelved for a significant time longer.
Many St. Louis Cardinals fans questioned the idea of keeping around Carson Kelly this offseason when Yadier Molina had signed his extension with the team as Kelly had proven himself at the AAA level and was considered a consensus top-100 prospect. Certainly, he could be the centerpiece of a trade that could fetch a big piece to shore up the bullpen, rotation, or add to the lineup depth, couldn’t he? Those same fans were even more incensed when Kelly was sent to AAA to continue spending more time in AAA rather than being up in the major leagues getting experience, even with 1-2 starts per week.
Then Yadier Molina faced arguably the most painful injury a catcher could encounter, and Kelly got his chance!
Instead of running with the opportunity, Kelly has hit .111 over 8 games until he suffered the hamstring strain that has now landed him on the disabled list as well. This comes after Kelly hit .283/.375/.459 in AAA in 2017, but he was struggling this season before his callup, hitting .234/.337/.364, though he was showing good plate discipline, with an 11/14 BB/K ratio.
What do the St. Louis Cardinals do now?!
The Cardinals still have Francisco Pena on the team, and he’s been on the roster since Opening Day. While a capable receiver, Pena is hitting .185/.267/.185 on the season without an extra base hit.
Steven Baron is being called up to take Kelly’s place on the roster. Baron has experience in the major leagues in 2015 with the Mariners for 4 games. He was currently hitting .153/.167/.186 in 17 games with AAA Memphis this season.
When Kelly was called up to the majors, Jeremy Martinez was called up to AAA, and hitting .348 with Springfield, there were heavy expectations on his bat, but he’s hit just .143 in 7 PA at AAA.
The last option could be the prospect that allowed many to feel that Kelly was expendable in the offseason. Andrew Knizner was drafted out of North Carolina State in the 7th round of the 2016 draft, and he’s shot up the Cardinals system. After an impressive showing at the Arizona Fall League last fall, many felt he was the catcher of the future, not Kelly. With the shuffle of players after Kelly’s injury, Knizner will be getting called up to AAA, but he would have earned the promotion soon on his own merit, as he was hitting .333/.412/.467 on the season. He could make a push to be up soon if the bats of the catchers ahead of him continue to struggle to approach .200!
Next: Reyes throwing well in rehab
As the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in a 4-way battle for the National League Central, losing Carson Kelly was not a blow they were hoping to deal with, and there doesn’t appear to be much immediate help that will provide any offensive value!