Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Getting breather Wednesday
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DeJong is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Reds.
This is a rare day off for DeJong, who has hit his way back into an everyday role with a .291/.371/.616 slash line through 97 plate appearances. He's sitting on eight homers, 18 RBI, three steals and 21 runs scored in 25 games. Tommy Edman will cover shortstop and bat seventh Wednesday versus Cincinnati.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Possible waiver wire pickups
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I remain highly, highly skeptical of a 29-year-old who hit .182 the previous two years and was nearly designated for assignment more than once. But we've reached a point with Paul DeJong where the roster rate has been so slow to adjust to the production at hand that I almost have to recommend him, at least as a hot-hand play. In formats that require a third middle infielder, such as standard Rotisserie, a good shortstop can be hard to find off the waiver wire, and yet here we have one who has homered five times in a 10-game span and eight times in 24 games overall. So what's changed from his previous failures? According to MLB, he's taking shorter strides at the plate, which has allowed him to time up pitches better. It's something, anyway, if you want a reason to believe.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Registers third steal
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DeJong went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Reds.
DeJong didn't contribute an RBI after logging four of them in each of the last two games, but he still had a solid effort. The shortstop's gone 7-for-23 (.304) over his last seven contests, and he's batting .291 with a .987 OPS, eight home runs, three steals, 18 RBI and 21 runs scored through 25 games overall.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Four RBI in extra-inning win
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DeJong went 2-for-5 with a RBI double and three-run home run in Monday's 6-5 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
DeJong hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the second to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead and tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI double in the eighth. He struck out in his other three plate appearances, but it was still a successful day at the plate for the shortstop. After a slow start in the power department, DeJong has picked up his slugging of late and is slashing .267/.362/.600 with six homers and 14 RBI over 17 appearances in May.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Excellent in Sunday's win
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DeJong went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, four RBI and four runs scored in Sunday's 10-5 win over the Dodgers.
DeJong had an RBI single in the fifth inning and capped off the Cardinals' scoring with a three-run blast in the seventh. The shortstop had gone just 4-for-31 over his previous nine games before a monster effort Sunday. For the season, he's slashing .282/.364/.590 with seven homers, 14 RBI, 18 runs scored and two stolen bases across 88 plate appearances.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Adds steal in win
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DeJong went 0-for-2 with a stolen base, a hit-by-pitch and a run scored in Saturday's 6-5 win over the Dodgers.
DeJong's bat has cooled off a bit, as he's gone just 4-for-31 over his last nine games, though it helps that three of those hits were home runs. He's also logged two steals in that span. The shortstop is slashing .267/.345/.547 with six homers, two steals, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored and three doubles through 22 contests this season. It's been enough to earn him fairly steady playing time, though he's frequently hit in the bottom third of the order.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Homers again
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DeJong went 1-for-5 with a homer in Thursday's win over the Dodgers.
For the second straight night, DeJong connected for a homer. The shortstop has homered six times in just 20 games. He probably won't top 30 home runs for the first time since 2019, but he is on pace for a monster season. His .923 OPS ranks second in St. Louis.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Powers offense in victory
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DeJong went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Brewers.
DeJong's only hit of the contest was also the Cardinals' only extra-base hit, as he smashed a two-run homer to center field in the sixth inning. That was all St. Louis needed, as four pitchers combined to shut out Milwaukee. DeJong has gone deep three times over his past eight games, slashing .241/.333/.552 with five RBI and a stolen base over that stretch.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Knocks fourth homer
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DeJong went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Red Sox.
DeJong's second-inning solo shot put the Cardinals ahead for good. The 29-year-old has started six straight games at shortstop, going 6-for-22 (.273) in that span. He's started to cool off a bit, as that stretch has lowered his slash line to .309/.367/.582 across 60 plate appearances this season. He's hit for solid power with four homers through 16 contests, and he's added seven RBI, nine runs scored, a stolen base and three doubles.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Garners sixth consecutive start
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DeJong will start at shortstop and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
DeJong will stick in the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, with three of his starts coming against lefties and three coming versus righties. Over the previous five contests, DeJong has gone 5-for-17 with a home run and a stolen base, and that level of production might be enough for him to hold down a near-everyday role in the short term. Tommy Edman is sitting out for the Cardinals' second consecutive matchup with a right-handed starting pitcher and is slashing .163/.178/.279 dating back to April 28, so he could be at risk of moving into a short-side platoon role if St. Louis wants to open up more playing time in the middle infield for DeJong.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Registers steal in win
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DeJong went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 8-6 win over the Red Sox.
DeJong also created a run when he grounded into a double play in the sixth inning. The shortstop has posted just two hitless efforts across his seven games in May. He's up to a .340/.404/.596 slash line with three home runs, six RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles and a steal through 14 contests this season. He'll likely continue to play on the short side of a platoon at shortstop, with Tommy Edman shifting over there against right-handed pitchers to allow Nolan Gorman to start at second base.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Bashes third homer
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DeJong went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Cubs.
DeJong drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Cardinals a 4-1 lead in the third inning. That lead didn't hold, but the shortstop put St. Louis ahead for good with a solo shot in the ninth inning, his third homer of the season. He's also racked up five multi-hit efforts in 12 contests, resulting in a .350/.409/.650 slash line with six RBI and six runs scored through 44 plate appearances. He's seeing more than just a short-side platoon role, but the Cardinals' shuffle of Willson Contreras to designated hitter means Nolan Gorman will likely push Tommy Edman to shortstop more often in the coming weeks, which could limit DeJong's playing time if he cools off at the plate.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Takes seat Wednesday
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DeJong is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Angels.
DeJong has been a fairly regular presence at shortstop for the Cardinals since his April 23 return from the injured list, but he'll take a seat Tuesday versus the Angels and Shohei Ohtani. Tommy Edman is playing short and batting ninth. Brendan Donovan is at second base and hitting eighth.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Another start at shortstop
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DeJong is starting at shortstop again Friday versus the Dodgers.
That's now three straight starts at short for DeJong, and he has been in the Cardinals' starting lineup for five of a possible six games since his activation from the injured list last Saturday. The 29-year-old former All-Star has gone 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs and two doubles. Tommy Edman is on the bench Friday at Dodger Stadium.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Slams second homer
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DeJong went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in a 6-0 victory versus San Francisco on Thursday.
DeJong smacked a two-run shot in the eighth inning and scored St. Louis' final run of the game in the ninth. The veteran infielder has recorded multiple hits in three of his five games this season and is slashing .471/.471/.941 through 21 plate appearances. He missed the beginning of the campaign with a back injury but has started four of the Cardinals' five games since his return.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Knocks three hits
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DeJong went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's win over the Mariners.
DeJong was activated for his season debut Sunday and immediately made an impact with a three-hit game. He capped the day with a solo shot off Diego Castillo in the seventh inning. DeJong posted an .899 OPS with five extra-base hits and 16 RBI during his 12-game rehab stint in the minors.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Activated, starting Sunday
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The Cardinals activated DeJong (back) off the 10-day injured list Sunday, John Denton of MLB.com reports. He'll start at shortstop and bat seventh in the Cardinals' series finale in Seattle.
DeJong will get a chance to make his first appearance for the Cardinals in 2023 after missing the start of the campaign with the back injury. Though he's receiving a starting nod Sunday, the 29-year-old is expected to operate in a utility role now that he's back from the IL. St. Louis designated infielder Taylor Motter for assignment to clear room on the active roster for DeJong.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Likely to be activated Sunday
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DeJong (back) will join the Cardinals in Seattle on Sunday and will likely be activated off the injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
DeJong has been out for the entirety of the season so far while recovering from his back injury. The 29-year-old will likely be back on the roster for the finale against the Mariners, and he should serve in a utility role while he's a member of the club.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: On extended rehab assignment
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Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said Thursday that DeJong (back) is going to have a "somewhat extended rehab" in Triple-A Memphis, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Because DeJong didn't see much action during spring training, the team is opting to give him plenty of work in the minors before bringing him back onto the major-league roster. So far, DeJong is slashing .167/.167/.222 over his first five minor-league games.
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Cardinals' Paul DeJong: Struggles in Triple-A rehab game
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DeJong (back) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday in a rehab game with Triple-A Memphis.
It was his first game at Memphis following a three-game run with Single-A Palm Beach. DeJong is 1-for-13 with six strikeouts through four total games on the farm as he aims to get right following a spring back injury. There's no exact timetable for his return to the Cardinals, and he'll probably fill a backup or utility role once he is deemed fit for MLB competition.
