Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Late addition to lineup
Rotowire
Saggese will start at shortstop and bat eighth Saturday against the Brewers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Saggese was originally in line to sit out Saturday's contest, but he'll be forced back into the starting nine as Masyn Winn moves to the bench with a sore thumb. Saggese is on track to end the season on a sour note after going 0-for-20 with 10 strikeouts across his last six games.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Saggese is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Pittsburgh.
Saggese had made 20 consecutive starts for the Cardinals, but he's cooled off lately in going hitless across his last four games. Nolan Gorman will cover third base for St. Louis on Wednesday.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Settling into everyday role
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Saggese will start at third base and will bat seventh in Tuesday's game against the Pirates.
Saggese was out of the lineup for the Cardinals' first two games upon his promotion in late August, but since then he's made 20 consecutive starts. He was swinging a hot bat initially after being recalled from Triple-A Memphis, but the 24-year-old has since cooled off, going 7-for-41 (.171) over his last 11 games.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Records steal Monday
Rotowire
Saggese went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in Monday's 2-1 win over the Giants.
Saggese is up to four steals on the year, including three over his last 10 games. He has gone 12-for-36 (.333) in that span, and he got a look in the leadoff spot Monday while Bryan Torres received a day off. Saggese is now batting .268 with a .738 OPS, four home runs, 12 RBI, 23 runs scored, five doubles and one triple over 140 plate appearances in the majors this season.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Adds steal in loss
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Saggese went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Rockies.
Saggese has hit safely in six straight games, four of which have been multi-hit efforts. He's also logged three home runs, eight RBI and two steals in that span. The infielder's playing time is likely to drop once Masyn Winn (thumb) returns, but Saggese has put together a nice audition that could help him stay in the Cardinals' long-term plans. Over 39 games this year, Saggese is batting .260 with a .772 OPS, four homers, three steals, 12 RBI, 18 runs scored, four doubles and one triple.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Stays hot Wednesday
Rotowire
Saggese went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional RBI and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-6, extra-inning win over the Dodgers.
Saggese got the Cardinals on the board in the sixth inning with his third homer of the series. He also logged multiple hits for the third game in a row. Saggese's hot bat upon his promotion from Triple-A Memphis in late August, coupled with the Cardinals' infield injury woes, has allowed him to take on a starting role at shortstop for now. On the year, he's batting .239 with a .712 OPS, four homers, 10 RBI, 16 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one stolen base over 36 contests.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: First career multi-homer game
Rotowire
Saggese went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs, a walk, three RBI and three runs scored in Tuesday's 13-8 win over the Dodgers.
Saggese secured the first multi-homer game of his career. The infielder is making the most of a decent share of playing time since rejoining the Cardinals on Friday, going 5-for-8 over three contests. Saggese is batting .226 with a .664 OPS, three homers, seven RBI, 14 runs scored, two doubles and one triple over 91 plate appearances in the majors this season.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Promoted to St. Louis
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Saggese from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
Saggese will rejoin the big-league club after spending over two months with the Triple-A squad in Memphis, where the 24-year-old has slashed .258/.340/.446 with 10 homers, 33 RBI and nine stolen bases over 249 plate appearances. The Cardinals placed Blaze Jordan (ankle) on the 10-day IL, creating the opening for Saggese on the active roster.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Sent down to minors
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Saggese to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Saggese has slashed just .170/.228/.208 in 18 games this season, and with Nathan Church sucking up most of the at-bats in left field, Saggese hadn't played in a week. He will get more regular reps at Memphis, and Cesar Prieto will take Saggese's spot on the active roster.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Playing time drying up
Rotowire
Saggese is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
Saggese is on the bench for the fourth game in a row and appears to have lost his grip on a regular spot in the lineup while mustering a weak .533 OPS across 47 plate appearances. Nathan Church has leapfrogged him on the depth chart after going 5-for-11 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases, two runs and an RBI over the last three contests.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Making sixth straight start
Rotowire
Saggese will start in left field and bat seventh in Tuesday's game versus the Nationals.
It's the sixth straight start overall and second consecutive start in left field against a righty for the right-handed-batting Saggese. Saggese -- who turns 24 on Friday -- has yet to do much at the plate this season but reached base three times in Monday's series opener.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Draws start in LF, CF next
Rotowire
Saggese is drawing his first-ever start in left field in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Astros, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Saggese has never played the outfield as a professional but is getting a crash course there during spring training. He's expected to soon receive a start in center field, as well, before departing Cardinals camp in order to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. St. Louis has been on the hunt for a right-handed-hitting outfielder, but they signed righty infielder Ramon Urias instead, in part because they like how Saggese and Jose Fermin have looked in the outfield this spring. With Lars Nootbaar (heels) likely headed for a stint on the injured list to begin the season, Saggese could see some playing time in left field early on.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: More time in outfield likely
Rotowire
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Saturday that the signing of Ramon Urias could lead to more playing time in the outfield for Saggese, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.
Saggese has never played the outfield in pro ball, but he's been working out there during spring training and could see starts in the outfield, especially against lefties. The 23-year-old also figures to see some starts at designated hitter, or in the field while others are getting a DH day. Saggese has hit only .250/.292/.336 with a 28 percent strikeout rate in his first 100 games in the majors.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Could get look in outfield
Rotowire
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Saggese could factor into the team's outfield mix this season, Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN St. Louis reports.
Saggese has only played the infield to this point in his professional career. Adding to his versatility would give Saggese more avenues to playing time, particularly since the Cardinals are light on right-handed-hitting outfielders. Saggese has slashed a disappointing .250/.292/.336 with a 28 percent strikeout rate in his first 100 games at the big-league level, but he'll turn just 24 in April and was a .288/.358/.485 hitter in the minors.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Collects three hits vs. Milwaukee
Rotowire
Saggese went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored during the Cardinals' 9-8 extra-inning loss to the Brewers on Saturday.
Saturday marked Saggese's fourth game this season with at least three hits, two of which have come over his last three games. Saggese has started at shortstop in four consecutive games and will be the starter moving forward after Masyn Winn (knee) was shut down for the rest of the season. Saggese has gone 11-for-39 (.282) with four RBI, three doubles and a steal since Sept. 1.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Taking over at shortstop
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Saggese will take over as the Cardinals' primary shortstop with Masyn Winn (knee) being shut down for the season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
With Brendan Donovan back from the injured list and at second base Friday, Saggese had appeared set for his playing time to dip. However, he's now needed at shortstop, which should keep him in the lineup on a regular basis down the stretch. Saggese has been unable to capitalize on regular reps since the start of August, slashing just .262/.305/.311 with no home runs and a 40:7 K:BB.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Bumped into starting nine
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Saggese will bat seventh and play second base Friday against the Yankees, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Saggese was thrust into the starting nine late Friday afternoon after Brendan Donovan was scratched with a foot injury. Saggese will look to extend his six-game hit streak.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Making third straight start
Rotowire
Saggese will start at second base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Cubs.
Saggese will stick in the lineup for the third consecutive game after going 3-for-8 with a double and a run scored in the first two contests. He'll fill in at the keystone for Brendan Donovan (groin) for the second straight day, but assuming Donovan doesn't require a stint on the injured list, Saggese will likely move back into a utility infield role in the near future.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Will work out in outfield
Rotowire
Saggese will go through pregame workouts and possibly see game action in the outfield, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Saggese has never played the outfield in pro ball, but increasing his versatility would give him another path to playing time, particularly with the Cardinals being left-handed heavy in the outfield. The 23-year-old has not yet found his swing at the big-league level, slashing just .241/.256/.342 in 26 contests. It seems likelier that Saggese's test drive in the outfield ultimately comes at Triple-A Memphis, once Ivan Herrera (hamstring) and Jordan Walker (appendix) return from the 10-day injured list.
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Cardinals' Thomas Saggese: Filling bench role Wednesday
Rotowire
Saggese is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Nolan Arenado (shoulder) will return to the starting nine Wednesday after sitting out each of the last three contests, ending Saggese's brief run as the Cardinals' third baseman. While starting in each of the three games Arenado missed, Saggese went 3-for-11 with a double, two RBI and a run. The 23-year-old will likely see limited playing time moving forward as a utility infielder.
