Paul DeJong makes a throw from his knees in Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta. (Post-Dispatch photo by David Carson)
DeJong gave strong indication in the first training camp that he could fill the cleanup role handled by Marcell Ozuna the previous two seasons. We’ll see, in the summer heat, if manager Mike Shildt will give DeJong as much rest defensively as he would have over a 162-game season.
This spring the Cardinals used several other players at short as they sought potential fill-ins for DeJong. Besides Tommy Edman, who hasn’t started there as a Cardinal in the regular season, there is Edmundo Sosa, who had a strong 2019 year in AAA and could step in. Sosa has a solid glove and a good arm and is developing as a hitter who can do damage, making him a possibility to make an expanded 30-man roster for the first two weeks of the season.
Yairo Munoz had played some short this spring but he bolted the club late in the first camp and was released.