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.

Kramer Robertson

Fans may recognize Kramer Robertson after he made his brief MLB debut with the club in 2022, but not many realize that he bounced between a few other organizations after the fact.

After being claimed and waived by both the Braves and Mets during the summer, the Cardinals were able to pick Robertson back up off of waivers in August and option him back to Triple-A Memphis. Robertson came into Spring as a non-roster invite but now may get his chance to make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster.

While Robertson has played in 16 games this spring, he's only received 19 at-bats, so his play at the plate is a very small sample size. And yet, Robertson has taken advantage of those opportunities, posting a 1.037 OPS while also playing all over the diamond. At 28 years old, the infielder could use this opportunity to become a late bloomer in the game of baseball.

In my opinion, Motter and Robertson make the most sense to replace DeJong since neither will need consistent playing time and can be a capable replacement up the middle if needed. Still, there is one name some fans will clamor for that is worth consideration but is not worth making the roster without everyday playing time.

Masyn Winn

By talent and performance alone, Masyn Winn would be the clear option to replace Paul DeJong on the roster. But with Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Gorman entrenched up the middle, the best thing for Winn's development would be starting the year in Triple-A Memphis.

Winn has turned heads within the Cardinals clubhouse, front office, and among national media as well. He's now drawing comparisons to a guy like Francisco Lindor, and his ETA may have just moved from 2024 to mid-2023. This guy's talent is undeniable, and he looks like a future star in the making.

The absolute worst thing the club could do for Winn's development right now would be to slot him into the DeJong role, where he gets maybe one start a week, and find his at-bats and fielding opportunities few and far between. Winn needs to play every single day to continue to develop as a player, and once that opportunity is available in St. Louis, they should give it to him.

For now, we need to be patient with Winn. Soon, he will either seize an opportunity that opens up in St. Louis, or he will force the club to create one for him.