The St. Louis Cardinals opened a significant NL Central series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon.
As of Friday afternoon, the Cardinals are on the verge of losing the series opener, trailing 3-0 in the later innings.
During the Cubs series, the Cardinals quietly parted ways with two players in their organization.
Cardinals Release 2 Players from Organization
On Friday, the Cardinals released two players from their rookie-ball affiliate, the DSL Cardinals. Both transactions are listed on the organization’s transaction tracker.
“DSL Cardinals released 1B Christian Sáez.”
“DSL Cardinals released RHP Ryan Rodríguez.”
Here’s a quick look at their professional careers to this point.
Christian Sáez is a 19-year-old first baseman who spent three seasons in the Cardinals organization without advancing beyond rookie ball.
In 72 games with the Cardinals organization, Sáez hit .184 in 228 at-bats, producing fairly modest offensive numbers. He also recorded three home runs and seven doubles while posting a .596 OPS. St. Louis likely expected more production from him, and his struggles at the plate ultimately contributed to his release.
As for Ryan Rodríguez, he is an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Across 17 innings over two seasons, Rodríguez surrendered 33 earned runs while striking out 13 batters and posting a 3.53 WHIP. Those numbers also left plenty to be desired.
The St. Louis Cardinals Right Now
While they remain a long shot, the St. Louis Cardinals are still alive in the NL Wild Card race.
If they lose Friday’s game, which currently appears likely, St. Louis will fall back to the .500 mark. They would also remain several games behind the final Wild Card spot, with multiple NL teams still ahead of them in the standings.
The biggest problem for the Cardinals has been an inconsistent offense. One night, they can score five or more runs, only to be shut out the next. That inconsistency has made it difficult for the team to string together consecutive victories and build meaningful momentum.