St. Louis Cardinals: Making The Best of Kolten Wong’s Imminent Situation

Once a prized prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system, Kolten Wong may lose starting second base dutifully as soon as next week.

According to St. Louis Cardinals’ general manager John Mozeliak via MLB reporter Joe Trezza’s article, three-time All-Star Jhonny Peralta could return to the team’s infield by Tuesday. The proposed infield involves Peralta moving from shortstop to third base to accommodate rookie Aledmys Diaz, while shifting Matt Carpenter back to a second base position he regularly played in 2013.

This essentially means that the tough luck victim, in regards to starting opportunities, is Kolten Wong, who Mozeliak said would take likely take on a utility role.

St. Louis’ current infield intentions could be much attributed to Wong’s slow start, as the Hawaii native has only 1 home run and 5 RBIs with a .225 batting average. Additionally, Jedd Gyorko and Greg Garcia have made positive impacts on the infield with positional flexibility and offense outbursts, which do not exactly help Wong, who only has four years of Major League experience, garner attention.

Perhaps, the largest concern that arises when considering Wong’s upcoming fate is how will the Cardinals respond after signing Wong to a 5-year, $25 million extension nearly three months ago?

Most strategies would force Wong to receive decreased Major League experience in short-term, but the Cardinals can have a huge impact on the 25 year-old’s future depending on how the situation is handled.

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