St. Louis Cardinals: Which Players Will Join the Roster in September?

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Xavier Scruggs, 1B/OF

Scruggs’ return to the big-league club is up in the air, as the Cardinals have developed quite a bit of depth at first base and the corner outfield spots with Brandon Moss, Mark Reynolds, and Stephen Piscotty. With that said, Scruggs did perform solidly during his major-league stint earlier this season, hitting .262/.279/.310 with seven RBI over 42 at-bats. He’s been a below-average performer at Triple-A Memphis, hitting .246/.352/.429 with 14 homers and 55 RBI, so that would be a case for not bringing him back and having him take up a spot in the clubhouse. With guys like Matt Holliday, Matt Adams, and Randal Grichuk perhaps not returning until the middle of September, though, it might be nice to have Scruggs as an extra option and potential pinch-hitter in the mean time.

If he doesn’t get called up, the 27-year-old Scruggs would be a prime candidate to be designated for assignment if the Cardinals want to bring up another player off the 40-man roster, such as outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, or to clear space for guys like Matt Belisle and Matt Adams who need to be activated off the 60-day disabled list.

Next: Randal Grichuk, OF