Oscar Taveras sent to minors by St. Louis Cardinals

This is the time of year when Major League Baseball teams make their first round of cuts in Spring Training. Often that means tough decisions about whether or not to keep top prospects in big league camp or send them to the minors.

The St. Louis Cardinals had probably hoped that super-prospect Oscar Taveras was going to force them to keep him in big league camp, but a lingering ankle injury has prevented him from generating any momentum. On Wednesday the team cut him and optioned him to minor league camp, where he will start the 2014 season.

From Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

It might be that his health prevented him from ever truly having a chance to make his mark this spring. At only 21 years old, Taveras is still considered a sure thing (or as close to a sure thing as one gets in the world of baseball prospects). This same ankle injury limited him last season so it is not surprising that the Cardinals are going to take it slow and make sure he fully recovers.

This presumably leaves St. Louis with an outfield that consists of Matt Holliday, Peter Bourjos, and Allen Craig with John Jay in the mix as well. That group is certainly not set, though, so depending on how they perform and how long it takes Taveras to get right we still might see him up with the Cardinals and having an impact this season.