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

Mar 18, 2023; Jupiter, Florida, USA;  St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Taylor Motter (55) is
Mar 18, 2023; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Taylor Motter (55) is | Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
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Taylor Motter

Coming into Spring Training with little fanfare, Taylor Motter was signed by the Cardinals this winter on a minor league contract and has really come on as of late to show why he could be a valuable player for the Cardinals this season.

Motter, 33, has been the classic "AAAA" player to this point in his career. He made his Major League debut with the Rays back in 2016, but only has a .572 OPS in 159 career big league games. In 2062 plate appearances in Triple-A though, he has posted a .834 OPS, including a .255/.357/.523 slash line with 20 HR and 54 RBI last season.

Motter has played in 19 of the Cardinals' Spring Training games thus far, posting a .795 OPS with 3 HR and 6 RBI to this point. He's showing great versatility as well, playing all over the diamond and holding his own at each position. This will go a long way toward helping his case for that final roster spot.

Motter has a strong case to be the roster replacement for DeJong, but there are still two other names that are worth discussing for the role.

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