Matt Carpenter's IL stint brings with it some surprisingly good news

The St. Louis Cardinals received some tough news on Thursday during their home opener against the Miami Marlins.

Though the team pulled off an 8-5 comeback victory, they were forced to place veteran slugger Matt Carpenter on the 10-Day IL with an oblique strain. In a corresponding move, they recalled catcher Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis.

Despite the loss of Carpenter, the Cardinals will be getting a bit of a boost with Pages being called up. Heading into action on Thursday, Pages had posted an OPS of 1.083 in Memphis to start the season.

STL Sports Central highlighted this impressive stat on Twitter.

Cardinals recall red-hot catcher from Memphis

Pages, 25, has only appeared in three games this season at Triple-A Memphis, so his 1.083 OPS is partially a result of a very small sample size.

Still, it's an encouraging sign for the Cardinals, who have been high on Pages over the past few seasons. Last year at Double-A Springfield, Pages hit .267 with 16 home runs, 72 RBI, and an .805 OPS.

Perhaps if he stays hot, he could be used as a designated hitter on occasion. Having a third catcher also gives the Cardinals some flexibility. Both Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera have been swinging hot bats as of late, and having Pages available on the bench would give them the flexibility to have both Herrera and Contreras in the lineup, with one behind the plate and the other serving as the DH.

Pages also may not be up for too long, as the team is expected to get outfielder Lars Nootbaar back very soon. Pages could simply be a temporary placeholder for Carpenter until Nootbaar returns.

But his hot start in Memphis is certainly a good sign for the Cardinals as they try to weather the storm of so many injuries, especially on the offensive side. In addition to Nootbaar and Carpenter, Tommy Edman is currently on the injured list as he recovers from offseason wrist surgery.