3 Cardinals who could replace Paul DeJong on the roster after his injury setback

With Paul DeJong appearing to head to the IL before Opening Day, these three players could take his spot on the Cardinals' roster

St. Louis Cardinals fans have been clamoring for Paul DeJong to be replaced on this Cardinals' roster for what feels like an eternity. With news of his recent injury setback, the club will likely be forced to finally do so, even if it's only for the immediate future.

DeJong starting the regular season on the injured list may actually be the best-case scenario for both the Cardinals' and the disappointing shortstop. The Cardinals were hoping for some major strides in DeJong's ability at the plate this season after an encouraging offseason revamping his swing. He did put up a .833 OPS this spring, but it was only in 13 at-bats and was carried heavily by his 6 walks and 2 home runs.

If the Cardinals and DeJong tried to get him on the field as soon as possible, he'd only have a few games to prove himself to the coaching staff and front office. Beginning the season on the injured list allows DeJong a bit more time to heal up from his nagging issues, and then put together a few weeks worth of game action on rehab stints before the club has to make a final decisoin on DeJong.

In the meantime, this opens up a roster spot for someone to snatch up as Opening Day quickly approaches.

Let's look at three players who could replace DeJong on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in light of his recent injury.