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Fowler's relationship with the Cardinals and manager Mike Matheny has become strained, The Athletic reports.
Fowler and Matheny reportedly barely talk and haven't for months. Some of the strain appears to be related to Fowler chafing at the smaller role he's been forced into as the season has gone on, as he hasn't started in over a week and has been out of the lineup for 15 of the team's last 22 games. The outfielder's .171/.275/.276 line suggests that his benching is well deserved, though Fowler believes he should be given enough at-bats to work through his slump. The team has also questioned his effort level, an accusation Fowler has disputed. If the situation continues to deteriorate, Fowler could end up traded, but the combination of his age (32) and the roughly $57 million remaining on his contract could make that difficult.
