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St. Louis Cardinals Activate Brayan Peña, Call Up Carson Kelly

By Patrick Karraker

Mar 31, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena (33) singles during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena (33) singles during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mike Matheny will no longer have to think twice about using one of his catchers as a pinch hitter.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced two roster moves prior to Sunday’s series finale with the Cincinnati Reds, as they activated catcher Brayan Peña from the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of catcher Carson Kelly from Triple-A Memphis.

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To make room for the catching duo on the 40-man roster, reliever Seth Maness was placed on the 60-day DL, while infielder Dean Anna was designated for assignment.

Considering the odd timing of these moves before the final game of a series on the road, one can only assume that these moves were at least partially motivated by the scenario that played out during Saturday’s loss to the Reds. With Yadier Molina getting the day off, backup Alberto Rosario started behind the plate. With the Cardinals down 2-1, Rosario was set to come to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Mike Matheny theoretically could have used Molina–perhaps the club’s hottest hitter right now–to pinch hit for Rosario, but for whatever reason–whether it was giving Molina a full day off or preferring not to risk a late-game injury to his only remaining catcher–he decided to let Rosario, he of the .239 career minor-league average, .598 career minor-league OPS, and current .200/.243/.257 big-league slash line, to hit. In predictable fashion, Rosario grounded out to second.

While Peña went just 1-for-8 with a walk during his brief stint with the big-league club earlier this year and hasn’t really stood out during 23 minor-league rehab games, he’s shown an ability to be a much more reliable big-league hitter than Rosario throughout his 12-year major-league career.

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He’s posted a .259/.299/.351 line over that period, and he’s had a batting average over .250 over each of the past three years. He might be limited exclusively to pinch-hitting duties going forward because of the trouble that his nagging knee injury is causing him behind the plate, but he’d at least be a valuable pinch hitter in a situation like yesterday’s.

Kelly is widely believed to be the eventual heir apparent to Molina, and he’s really turned it on as a hitter this season. In 362 plate appearances split between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis, Kelly hit .289/.343/.395 with six homers. He’s considered to be a well above-average defensive catcher–he won a minor-league Gold Glove last year, after all–so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take the bulk of the catching duties that aren’t given to Molina the rest of the way.

Next: Cardinals Activate Matt Adams from 15-Day DL

With Anna, who had been on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster for the past two seasons, designated for assignment, catcher Mike Ohlman will probably be vulnerable to removal from the 40-man now if the Cards decide to add a backup infielder or bolster their bullpen later this month. Pitcher Jordan Walden could be activated from the 60-day DL if his rehab assignment goes well over the remainder of this week, and guys like utility infielder Breyvic Valera and lefty reliever Ryan Sherriff could be candidates to receive a late promotion after the minor-league season ends this coming week.

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