Home BaseballSt. Louis Cardinals Cardinals Add Eight Players To Active Roster; Jose Martinez Activated From 10-Day I.L.

Cardinals Add Eight Players To Active Roster; Jose Martinez Activated From 10-Day I.L.

by St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have added eight players to their active roster, as Major League Baseball rules allow for the September 1 expansion of active rosters to 40.

The Cardinals today activated outfielder José Martínez (right AC joint sprain) from the 10-day Injured List, recalled catcher Andrew Knizner, first baseman/outfielder Rangel Ravelo, left-handed pitcher Génesis Cabrera, right-handed pitcher Junior Fernandez and right-handed pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon from Memphis (AAA), and purchased the contracts of right-handed pitcher Mike Mayers and catcher Joe Hudson from Memphis.

Martínez, who missed 15 games since going on the Injured List on August 13, appeared in five games with Springfield (AA) while on an injury rehabilitation assignment last week, batting .500 (8-for-16) with 4 RBI.  In 110 games for the Cardinals this season, Martinez is batting .266 with 10 HR’s and 40 RBI.

Knizner, a rookie, batted .276 with 12 HR & 34 RBI in 66 games for Memphis and in 13 games for St. Louis, is batting .190 (8-for-42) with one homer and four RBI.

The right-handed hitting Ravelo finished his season at Memphis by batting .299 with 12 HR & 56 RBI in 95 games.   He made his ML debut with the Cardinals earlier this season, appearing in 14 games (.158 BA, 0 HR, 1 RBI).

Cabrera, the 26th man for yesterday’s double-header, was 5-6 with a 5.91 ERA in 20 games (18 starts) for Memphis.  The rookie lefty became the 2,000th player in Cardinals franchise history when he made his ML debut in June, and he’s appeared in five games (two starts) with the Cardinals this season, going 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA.

Fernandez, also a rookie, has pitched at four levels this season, including the majors, where he made five relief appearances (0-0, 3.60 ERA) for the Cardinals in August.  The 22-year-old Fernandez combined to go 3-2 with 11 saves and a 1.52 ERA in 45 games in the minors this season, fanning 80 batters in 65.0 innings pitched.

Ponce de Leon is slated to make the start in tonight’s second game of the double-header.   He completed his year at Memphis with an 8-4 mark and 2.88 ERA in 16 starts.   In 10 games (7 starts) for St. Louis this season, Ponce de Leon is 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 40.2 innings of work.

Mayers, whose season was slowed by a right shoulder lat strain while on the Injured List from April 16 to July 23,  has appeared in just 12 games (0-1, 7.24 ERA) with St. Louis.  Mayers made a total of 20 relief appearances with Memphis this season, and during his most recent stint (August 9-29), he allowed just two runs in 10 games (10.0 IP) for a 1.80 ERA with 15 strikeouts.

Hudson, a right-handed hitting catcher, who played eight games in the majors with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, batted .223 with 10 HR & 30 RBI in 60 games with Memphis.  Hudson threw out 39 pct. (15-of-38) of attempted base stealers this season, made just one error behind the plate, and had just one passed ball.

The Cardinals also announced today that they transferred outfielder Lane Thomas (right wrist fracture) from the 10-day Injured List to the 60-day Injured list.

MartĂ­nez wears uniform no. 38, Knizner is no. 7, Ravelo 47, Cabrera 61, Fernandez 44, Ponce de Leon 62, Mayers 59 and Joe Hudson 68.

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