The St. Louis Cardinals infield continued its constant fluctuation on Sunday when the team announced infielder Kolten Wong landed on the disabled list with a left elbow strain. In his place, the team called up prospect Paul DeJong from Triple-A Memphis.
Wong initially suffered the left elbow strain last week, with the team and player hopeful the soreness would subside and he could return to normal playing time. But with continued issues with the elbow, Wong is now landing on the disabled list and will head for an MRI to see if there is underlying issues with his elbow.
In 41 games this season, the 26-year-old infielder slashed .278/.378/.414, a major improvement from last year's .240/.327/.355 line. Wong had cut down on his strikeout percentage from 14.4 percent to 12.7 percent, drawn more walks and saw his batting average on balls in play rise to .319 compared to the career-worst .268 BABIP he posted in 2016.
With Wong sidelined, DeJong and Jhonny Peralta should split playing time in the infield. Both are off the fantasy radar as neither will have enough playing time to produce in a certain stat category to make them worthy adds. In 170 at bats at the Triple-A level, DeJong posted a .294/.331/.541 line with 11 home runs. His power is enticing, but the lack of playing time makes him a wait-and-see player.