Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams is expected to come off the disabled list tomorrow, which is the first day he’s eligible after missing two weeks with a calf injury.
Adams rejoining the lineup means Allen Craig will shift back to right field after filling in at first base and according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com the return of “Big Mayo” also likely means the Cardinals will send one of their two rookie outfielders, Oscar Taveras or Randal Grichuk, back to Triple-A.
Taveras is the much better prospect--in fact, he’s one of the top half-dozen or so prospects in all of baseball--and the Cardinals seem unlikely to keep him in the majors at age 21 if he’s not playing regularly. Taveras homered in his first career game, but has hit just .189 with a 7/2 K/BB ratio in 11 games overall. Grichuk has been even worse, hitting .136 with a 15/3 K/BB ratio in 19 games after batting .315 with 10 homers and a .952 OPS in 41 games at Triple-A.
Deciding to shift Taveras to center field would be a way to keep him in the majors as an everyday player while also making room for Adams’ return, but the Cardinals’ brass has suggested recently that they’d prefer if he stuck to an outfield corner.