Cardinals Option Wong to Memphis

Mar 1, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk (88) at bat against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Late Sunday after the Cardinals’ win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals optioned both Kolten Wong and Shane Robinson to Triple-A Memphis and called up both second baseman Greg Garcia and outfielder Randal Grichuk.

Robinson has always been the odd man out due to his lack of production on a regular basis and he has served mainly as a pinch hitter/runner over the past two seasons. His replacement was a part of the David Freese trade. Grichuk (pronounced Gri-chick) is a power hitting corner outfielder who has hit .310 so far this season in Memphis and has three home runs and 17 RBI’s as well.

Greg Garcia is a career .280 hitter and is hitting .267 on this year in Memphis. His biggest asset is that he has hit five home runs this season for the Redbirds.

The struggles of Wong at the plate have been documented, but the move does come as some shock since Wong is considered the second baseman of the future.

One thing this does do, however, is reward two young prospects for getting off to hot starts. Two, it sends a message to the team that if you are struggling you might be sent down. This move adds slightly more pop to the lineup and perhaps will give the Cardinals a wake up jolt to start producing more.

Behind Randal Grichuk (in Memphis) now sit top prospect Oscar Taveras, 5-tool player Stephen Piscotty, and Joey Butler (who currently is hitting .403).