Matt Adams activated; Oscar Taveras demoted by St. Louis Cardinals

When the St. Louis Cardinals promoted top prospect Oscar Taveras in conjunction with Matt Adams hitting the disabled list, the expectation was that the team would “figure out” a way to keep Taveras in the Major Leagues once Adams returned from injury. On Friday, that expectation was removed, and reality set in as the Cardinals elected to demote Tavares back to triple-A Memphis to clear room for the return of Adams.

In defense of the Cardinals, the 21-year-old Taveras didn’t exactly demand additional playing time in the Majors with his performance. In 40 plate appearances, the sweet-swinging outfielder produced a .189/.225/.297 slash line, and with the exception of blasting a home run that doubled as his first Major League hit, there was little to become excited about with his showing.

The biggest issue, however, is that manager Mike Matheny seems opposed to playing Taveras in center field, and if that can’t happen, the St. Louis roster simply won’t allow for him to stay up at this point. Matt Adams is a far more established player at this stage, with a career .292/.328/.476 slash line in 612 plate appearances, and the Cardinals do not possess an “obvious” candidate for demotion and/or exile.

This surely won’t be the last we see of Oscar Taveras in the uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals, but for now, the big league club is better off with Matt Adams and the rest of the established roster.