Cardinals Calling Up Infielder To Replace Injured Star As Struggles Continue

The St. Louis Cardinals' season has gone about as poorly as possible through 87 games, and the latest hit could be the nail in the coffin.

"Infielder José Fermín has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman (right wrist inflammation) has been placed on the 10-day IL," The Cardinals tweeted. "Fermín will make his Major League debut with his first appearance and wear uniform No. 35."

Edman had been hitting .237 with 25 extra-base hits including seven home runs, 29 RBIs and a .693 OPS in 84 games. While this has been a down year across the board offensively for the 28-year-old, his defense was invaluable. He started the season up the middle and then learned how to play center field on the fly and did so at an elite level.

Fermín provides some defensive versatility, able to man first base, second base and third base but his bat is nothing to write home about.

The 24-year-old has battled injuries all season and only played 17 games before his call-up. Last season he hit .215 with 17 extra-base hits including six home runs, 31 RBIs and a .658 OPS in 90 games for Triple-A Memphis.

Fermín is there to patch the gap together while Edman recovers from his ailment.

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Published Jul 7, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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