Top prospect Oscar Taveras called up again by Cardinals
By Mike Marteny
The St. Louis Cardinals have optioned relief pitcher Jorge Rondon to AAA Memphis and will recall baseball’s number two prospect in outfielder Oscar Taveras.
Taveras struggled in his first taste of the major leauges earlier this month, hitting .189 with one home run and two RBI (both came in his debut) in 11 games.
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Taveras will return to patrol center field for St Louis, meaning the John Jay and Peter Bourjos platoon will be put on the back burner for now.
Taveras again proved that he had nothing more to prove at AAA, hitting .333 with three doubles and six RBI in ten games. That puts his AAA season totals at .318 with eight homers, 18 doubles, a .872 OPS, and 49 RBI in 62 games for the Memphis Redbirds.
Bourjos has struggled on the season, hitting just .204 with a pair of homers and five steals in 162 at bats.
Jay has fared much better. He hit .319 in June to move his season average to .296. He has also chipped in a homer and a pair of steals.
Though Jay is a solid player, Taveras has the potential to add a nice dose of power and speed to the lineup, something that the current platoon in center field has had trouble doing on a consistent basis. Neither Jay nor Bourjos is known for their power, and the Cardinals could use a dose of it.
Taveras will not join the Cardinals until tomorrow, but he is expected to be in the starting lineup for the series opener in San Francisco against the Giants.