José

Fermín

Fermín doubled, singled and drew three walks while also adding his fourth stolen base of the season. The 27-year-old has provided some value of the bench, but he shouldn’t be on a fantasy one — and certainly not in a starting lineup — with a slash of .243/.311/.364.

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.

Fermín typically comes off as a significantly less talented version of Luis Arraez, but every once in a while, the 27-year-old makes it worth wondering if there’s something more in store. Tonight’s homer was one of those moments, as it came with an 81.3-mph bat speed that he just doesn’t seem like he should be capable of. Fermín has been adequate in hitting .253/.317/.385 in his part-time role this year, but he might be a lot more interesting if he just started swinging hard all of the time.

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.