Ty Kelly Odd Man Out in St. Louis

It was a close call for Ty Kelly, but the St. Louis Cardinals second baseman will stay in Memphis after the Cardinals’ exhibition series with the Memphis Redbirds.

Kelly did not make the 25-man roster, which was announced Tuesday morning by manager Mike Matheny. Instead, Kelly will head down to Memphis to work on some extra areas of his game.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Matheny wants Kelly to learn different positions while down at Triple-A. He even went so far as to say Kelly may catch bullpen sessions for pitchers, presumably to stay fresh and even learn that position if needed.

Kelly will contribute to the big-league roster at some point, and it could even be this season if a player gets hurt. Should Kolten Wong go down via injury, it is conceivable Kelly could play if Pete Kozma doesn’t take time at the position.

For now, the club wants to groom Kelly as a utility infielder, and there is nothing wrong with that strategy at all. If it helps him get at-bats in the majors at a later date, more power to the Cardinal coaching staff.