Remembering Recent Non-Roster Invitees Who Have Made the St. Louis Cardinals’ Opening Day Roster

Rico Washington, UTIL, 2008

Washington, one of the more obscure players in Cardinals history, broke camp with the big-league club in 2008. With infielder Brendan Ryan injured, the Cardinals had a spot for an extra infielder on the Opening Day roster, and they used it to give Washington, a veteran of 10 minor-league seasons and 3,980 at-bats, an opportunity in the majors. Washington went on to play in 14 games for the Cardinals, collecting 22 plate appearances and accumulating a .158/.273/.263 slash line with 3 RBI. He was sent down before the end of April, and he never played in another big-league game after that 20-game stint with the Cardinals.

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