Mortensen Promoted; Greene May Return to DL
The Cardinals have yet to make an official announcement, but the club has promoted righthanded pitcher Clayton Mortensen from Triple-A Memphis, most likely to assume infielder Khalil Greene’s spot on the roster. Mortensen was told Sunday night to make his way to St. Louis, where he becomes the 14th rookie to appear for the parent club. Mortensen’s role remains uncertain; however, pitching coach Dave Duncan on Sunday stated a desire to give struggling starter Todd Wellemeyer another turn in the rotation.
Mortensen will either slip into a long relief role or be given Brad Thompson’s spot in the rotation. Thompson is still listed to start tonight’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants.
Greene’s return to the disabled list appears likely after manager Tony La Russa pulled him from Sunday’s game after a fielding error and two strikeouts. Greene suffered a relapse of symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder Thursday in New York. Sunday was his first appearance since and, according to La Russa and general manager John Mozeliak, a hard decision on the Cardinals’ most significant off-season acquisition is approaching.
Greene is in an 0-for-16 skid that has dropped his overall average to .200.
Mortensen, 24, is 7-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 starts for the Triple-A Redbirds. The 36th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft arrives barely two years after making his last appearance for Gonzaga. He has made 56 minor-league appearances during his rapid ascent. Today would be Mortensen’s turn to start, as he worked seven innings in a June 24 win over Iowa. Mortensen has at times struggled with command at Memphis but owns a 1.86 ground ball to fly ball ratio. His overall 4.24 ERA includes three quality starts in his last nine appearances.
(7 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)
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I don’t get it. Thompson deserves to stay in the rotation more than Welley. In my opinion.