St. Louis Cardinals Purchase Contract of Xavier Scruggs

With the need for a backup first baseman becoming more obvious by the day, the St. Louis Cardinals have purchased the contract of first baseman Xavier Scruggs from Triple-A Memphis. The 26-year-old righthanded hitter will join the club for a four-game series in Milwaukee beginning tonight.

The Cardinals have been without a true backup for Matt Adams at first since Allen Craig was traded to the Boston Red Sox on July 31. Since then, Adams has pretty obviously been overworked, and it’s been reflected in his numbers, as he has gone 6 for his last 45. However, with no clear alternative at first, the Cards have been forced to plug in career middle infielders Mark Ellis and Daniel Descalso at the position on the two occasions that Adams has taken the day off.

Catcher Yadier Molina has since returned and could also provide depth at the position, but Scruggs provides an ideal compliment to Adams as a righthanded power bat. Scruggs, who is in his seventh professional season and his first at Triple-A, was hitting .286/.370/.494 at Memphis with 21 homers and 87 RBI.

The Cardinals had also activated Michael Wacha from the 60-day disabled list in advance of his start against the Brewers tonight. With that move having filled up the 40-man roster, the team placed outfielder Shane Robinson on the 60-day DL to make room for Scruggs.