Camp Tidbits

With just one more day ahead of the Cardinals playing themselves, the club is anxious to get Grapefruit League games started.  On Wednesday, the first Fins and Feathers game of the year will be played at Roger Dean Stadium, with St. Louis acting as the home team.  Until then, here are the latest “stories” from Jupiter.

First, an update on the banged up Birds.  Add Brendan Ryan to the list.  He’ll miss at least the first two games with a sore right wrist.  According to Derrick Goold, the injury keeps Ryan from swinging a bat, but doesn’t keep him out of defensive drills. He also mentions a freak injury to Todd Wellemeyer, although it wasn’t serious enough to keep him from participating.

Other guys still on the mend include David Freese (sore Achilles),  Khalil Greene (shoulder stiffness), Mitchell Boggs (sore shoulder), and Matt Scherer (sore elbow). So far, Troy Glaus remains the only player expected to miss significant time, as he recovers from off season shoulder surgery.  He’s expected to miss most, if not all of the regular season’s first month.

Competition for Glaus’ fill-in was expected to be mostly between Freese, Ryan, and Brian Barden.  But as Matthew Leach reports, Cardinal outfielder Joe Mather is turning some heads with his transition to the hot corner.

With two players moving to the infield, coach Jose Oquendo really has his work cut out for him.  Unfortunately for the pair, and for the Cardinals, The Secret Weapon will soon have to leave camp to manage the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic.

Speaking of the WBC, Cardinal All-Star Ryan Ludwick will not participate.  Catcher Yadier Molina, and minor league pitcher Adam Ottavino will be the only Cardinals in the mix.  Joe Strauss has the full story.

That’s it for now. And the countdown continues!