The St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly promoting OF Oscar Mercado to the big league club, per MLB insider Robert Murray.
The move comes amid a number of outfield concerns for St. Louis. Tyler O'Neill is currently on the injured list and Dylan Carlson has struggled for the Cardinals. Lars Nootbaar is playing well, but this team clearly needs outfield help nonetheless.
Mercado broke into MLB with the Cleveland Guardians in 2019. He displayed promise through 115 games for Cleveland, hitting .269 with a .761 OPS to go along with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases. He slumped mightily during the shortened 2020 campaign though, hitting just .128 with a .348 OPS across 36 games played.
Mercado has struggled ever since, never finding his footing in Cleveland again. He would later end up with the Philadelphia Phillies, but appeared in only one MLB game.
Oscar Mercado won't fix the Cardinals' outfield. He isn't a game-changing player by any means. That said, he's displayed the ability to hit for sneaky power while offering speed and defensive prowess. He can play any outfield spot and is a stolen base threat. It is no secret that St. Louis has endured struggles in 2023, so perhaps Mercado can provide a necessary spark.
The Cardinals are still a legitimate threat to win the NL Central despite their 2023 shortcomings. However, they need to start winning games on a consistent basis sooner rather than later. St. Louis has performed better in recent action, so they are trending in a positive direction.
The Cardinals will battle the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in St. Louis.
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