Brian

Barden

Barden hit .335/.370/.502 at Single-A Lancaster after being drafted in the sixth round in 2002, but he wasn’t nearly as productive in a year and a third in Double-A. Since he has little power and a poor walk rate, he’s probably going to top out as a Triple-A player. Cormier has a better chance of seeing time with the Diamondbacks, though he doesn’t have much upside. Hall is returning to Triple-A following a brief demotion.

Barden hasn’t appeared in the major leagues since 2010, when he batted just .179/.281/.179 in 32 plate appearances with the Marlins. He will probably spend the entire 2013 campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque.

No surprises here. Barden batted a robust .478/.538/.565 this spring, but he was never a real Opening Day roster candidate.

Brian Barden will start at second base, batting second against Johan Santana.

Ramirez made some rather abrasive comments to the media on Tuesday morning following his mid-game benching Monday for a lack of hustle. Fish manager Fredi Gonzalez wants the superstar shortstop to apologize to his teammates for the embarrassing scene, which he has yet to do. Brian Barden is starting in Hanley’s place on Tuesday afternoon against the Diamondbacks.

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez was seen lecturing Ramirez after he dogged it while chasing after a ball hit by Tony Abreu in the top of the second inning. Ramirez inadvertently kicked the ball into left field corner, but didn’t show much sense of urgency Adam LaRoche and Chris Young scored and Abreu made it all the way to third base. It wasn’t one of his finest moments. Ramirez also fouled a ball off his foot earlier in the game, so he could have had a reasonable excuse for taking his time. Either way, Gonzalez took him out of the game.

The Diamondbacks needed roster space after claiming both Jeff Cirillo and Byung-Hyun Kim off waivers Friday. After a big season at Triple-A in 2006, Barden has been a mess back at Tucson this year, hitting just .269 with a 691 OPS in 83 games.

Barden, a waiver claim from Arizona last month, hit .235/.286/.368 in 20 games for Memphis, giving him a .263/.342/.342 line for the season. He looked like a reasonable option as a bench player entering 2007, but the 26-year-old is a long shot to have a substantial career in the majors now.

Barden was dropped from Arizona’s 40-man roster after the three waiver claims earlier this month. He was a disappointment at Triple-A Tucson this season, hitting .269 with a 691 OPS, making it less likely that he’ll have a substantial career as a bench player. Still, the Cards need all of the infield depth they can get. Barden will report to Trilpe-A Memphis.