José Fermín hits fifth homer versus Cubs

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for the dynamic 23-year-old rookie second baseman who has been a fixture atop the Cardinals’ lineup for nearly every game this season. Jose Fermin will start in his place and will bat seventh against Blue Jays’ right-hander Max Scherzer on Sunday afternoon in Toronto.

Wetherholt takes a seat after playing both games during Tuesday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium. It’ll be José Fermín at second base with Masyn Winn moving up to the leadoff spot in his place. The 23-year-old rookie sensation is one of the most prominent omissions from next week’s All-Star Game. He’s put together an excellent first half, hitting .263/.358/.405 with 56 runs scored, 13 homers, 36 RBI and nine steals in 391 plate appearances through 86 games.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol seemed to want nothing to do with Fermín at the beginning of the season, as the utilityman had zero plate appearances through six games and two through 12 games. However, Fermín has been decent enough when given the chance to play, hitting .277/.328/.402 in 123 plate appearances. Fermín would likely be stretched thin as a regular, but as a part-timer, his ability to make contact and handle several positions is pretty useful.

Burleson usually gets to play against southpaws, but the Cardinals will give him a day off against Eduardo Rodriguez and the Arizona staff. Blaze Jordan will get the start at first base, and Jose Fermin will handle the hot corner while Burleson rests.

Wetherholt takes a seat following five consecutive starts after missing time last weekend with groin soreness. The 23-year-old rookie standout hit .286 (6-for-21) with four runs scored and three RBI during that five-game span. It’ll be José Fermín drawing a start at the keystone in his place.

Winn gets a much-needed breather after playing every inning in each of the team’s last 15 ballgames. He has seen his offensive performance fall off substantially once again this season, slashing just .236/.318/.322 with only two homers, 24 RBI and five stolen bases through his first 239 plate appearances. Jose Fermin will start in his place at shortstop and bat seventh for the Cardinals on Sunday against Reds’ right-hander Rhett Lowder.

No word on the reason for the move. Thomas Saggese takes over in left field to face Guardians starter Joey Cantillo.

That’s unexpected. It’d been clear for a couple of weeks that Nootbaar would open up on the IL following his heel surgeries, but it was supposed to be the 10-day. Nootbaar has been hitting and throwing since the beginning of the spring and recently resumed running, but we take it that didn’t go as well as hoped. Nathan Church, Thomas Saggese and José Fermín will divvy up his at-bats for at least the first two months.

Statcast says the single through the left side of the infield left his bat at 111.4 mph. We’re guessing the calibrations were a little off there, though, given that Fermín has never eclipsed 105.7 mph as a major leaguer. Still, Fermín is pretty interesting as perhaps the Cardinals’ best leadoff option with Brandon Donovan gone. The 26-year-old hit .283/.377/.417 in 70 major league plate appearances last season and came in at .300/.428/.485 in Triple-A. He might not be a mixed-league guy even if he does wind up playing regularly, but he’s an NL-only sleeper.

Wetherholt has an opportunity to break camp on St. Louis’ season-opening roster with a strong performance in Grapefruit League play and possesses the advanced hit tool and emerging power skillset to be a colossal fantasy difference-maker at a relatively weak second base position group. The 23-year-old top prospect batted .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games in the upper minors last season and could split time between third base and the keystone with defensive wizard Masyn Winn occupying shortstop. It feels like only a matter of time before he ascends to the top of manager Oli Marmol’s lineup card as a top-of-the-order spark plug. The other interesting name to watch is power/speed combo threat Joshua Baez, who broke out with a 16-homer, 34-steal campaign at Double-A Springfield last year. Here’s the full lineup: Winn (SS), Alec Burleson (1B), Nolan Gorman (3B), Pedro Páges (C), Wetherholt (2B), José Fermín (LF), Nathan Church (CF), Baez (RF) and Blaze Jordan (DH).