The Latest St. Louis Cardinals Moves

The final days of spring training will soon bring a flurry of roster moves, and the St. Louis Cardinals made five such moves on Monday as the roster whittling continues.

The biggest of the names reassigned to the minors is undoubtedly Aledmys Diaz, who was sent to Triple-A Memphis to begin the season with the Redbirds. The 24-year old from Cuba hit .250 in spring training, but he only received eight at-bats in six games. With his path at shortstop blocked by Jhonny Peralta, Diaz’s best bet was to head to the minors and play every day.

More from Redbird Rants

• Cardinals: Trade targets after signing Willson Contreras
• Reflecting on the 2013 Cardinals’ top 30 prospects
• Cardinals: Here is Willson Contreras’ first message for St. Louis fans
• How do the St. Louis Cardinals stack up with Willson Contreras?
• Cardinals: The insane asking price the Athletics had for Sean Murphy

Here is analysis of the other four moves made by St. Louis on Monday:

Cody Stanley — assigned to Triple-A Memphis

Stanley is a catcher whose best days as a prospect might be behind him. He won’t turn 27 until December, but that is the age where most prospects and major leagues have their breakout years. Stanley had a good spring camp with a .417 average and one home run in 12 at-bats, but Yadier Molina and Tony Cruz have the top positions locked down behind the plate.

Nick Thompson — assigned to minor league camp

Thompson is a 22-year old left fielder who had not seen time in main spring games. With Matt Holliday safely tucked away in left field, there was no way Thompson would crack this roster. Not yet, anyway.

Heath Wyatt — assigned to minor league camp

The 26-year old pitcher went 1-2 with a 4.34 ERA at Memphis last season, and it is presumed he will end up there once the minor league campaign begins. Wyatt is also a non-factor to the Cardinals’ roster in 2015.

Chris Thomas — assigned to minor league camp

Another 26-year old hurler with little to no experience, Thomas is headed to the minors after some time in spring camp. He isn’t expected to make a dent in the St. Louis roster.

And there you have it. These moves, with the exception of Diaz, are inconsequential. And that’s being generous to Diaz. Look for more moves Tuesday and in the future days as St. Louis stocks its parent club and sends more players to the minors.