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St. Louis Cardinals place Kolten Wong on 10-day DL, recall Paul DeJong

By Patrick Karraker

Jun 13, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) hits a one run double off of Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Wily Peralta (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong (16) hits a one run double off of Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Wily Peralta (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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After just six games, Kolten Wong is headed back to the disabled list with a different injury than the one that forced his first DL stint this season.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been dealt another significant setback, as second baseman Kolten Wong will miss more time after being placed on the disabled list Thursday with right forearm tightness. Wong exited in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers due to the injury, which he first dealt with in rehab games at Low-A Peoria while working his way back from left elbow tightness.

Wong missed roughly two weeks during late May and early June with the left elbow injury. The same player who replaced Wong during his first stint on the DL, rookie infielder Paul DeJong, will fill his spot on the roster once again, as he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. DeJong stayed with the Cardinals after Wong was activated from the DL last Friday, but he was optioned back to Triple-A after Sunday’s victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 26-year-old Wong thrived in his return from the disabled list, collecting a hit in all six games that he played in. He was 13 for 20 with four doubles, a walk, and three RBI over the duration of the streak. Wong has posted a career-best .301/.393/.444 slash line over 179 plate appearances this season.

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It’s quite likely that DeJong will once again fill in as the Cardinals’ starting second baseman during Wong’s absence. There are a couple circumstances that make that arrangement less than ideal; second base is DeJong’s second adopted position, as he’s a natural third baseman and has primarily played shortstop at Memphis this season. Though he hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat and went 2 for 4 in his first start, he posted an unimpressive .244/.244/.390 slash line with 13 strikeouts and no walks over 41 plate appearances during his first big-league stint.

But Mike Matheny obviously believes that getting DeJong consistent playing time is more important than utilizing Greg Garcia–who has a better offensive and defensive track record as a major-leaguer than DeJong does–at the position. DeJong started all 11 games for which he was available during Wong’s stint on the DL, with Garcia’s only start during that stretch coming last week in Cincinnati, when DeJong spelled Aledmys Díaz at shortstop for a day.

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With that said, Matheny didn’t even use DeJong as a pinch hitter for the entire weekend after Wong was activated from the DL–and that inactivity was presumably what prompted John Mozeliak to return him to Triple-A–so perhaps the manager will be more conservative with his usage now that his initial trial run is complete.

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