Jose Barrero's bench time creates Cardinals' roster challenges

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Last May, after it became clear that Masyn Winn's back was able to hold up to the strains and stresses of a major league season, Brandon Crawford racked up a mere 15 plate appearances and four starts in a month. He would linger on the roster a few months more as protection and insurance, but the St. Louis Cardinals spent most of the season playing, in effect, with a spot on the roster taken up by a player whose role didn't pair with much need.

That's not precisely where José Barrero finds himself at the moment, though his playing time is somewhat similar. Heading into Thursday's doubleheader at Busch Stadium , Barrero has just 19 plate appearances since being called up on April 28. He has appeared in the starting lineup just four times, the most recent of which was May 12 in Philadelphia.

With the Royals starting a left-hander in both games of the doubleheader on Thursday, the Cardinals might have chosen to give the right-handed Barrero a start in center field in place of Victor Scott II, who has flagged in recent weeks at the plate, especially against lefties. Instead, Lars Nootbaar started the first of the two games in center, his third start there this season. Alec Burleson, a lefty, was penciled in the lineup in left field, and recent call-up Ryan Vilade, a righty, started in right.

"There's other guys at the moment we need to continue to take a look at," manager Oli Marmol said Thursday morning. "I don't mean that negatively in any way, but it's just where we're at."

During Barrero's centerfield start in Philadelphia, he appeared to have trouble tracking a small handful of fly balls hit directly at him against a difficult gray sky; Scott, too, showed similar hesitation, though he downplayed it that day after he entered to replace Barrero as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. Marmol said that game hasn't been a factor in his playing time decisions, though Barrero has appeared there just once since for a total of two innings.

Though much of the focus will be on how the Cardinals choose to manage the pitching staff over a difficult June in which they only have two off days (one of which has already passed), Marmol has spoken several times in recent days about the need to utilize the bench more often as well. Some of that conversation has centered on Nolan Gorman, who homered and singled in Tuesday's loss to the Royals.

Gorman, though, isn't a factor in the outfield discussion, other than the ways in which his usage at designated hitter makes it difficult to squeeze a player like Burleson into the lineup. Nor does he play shortstop, Barrero's natural and most commonly played position, but Winn's production and durability seemingly make that fit a moot point.

Indeed, the Cardinals throughout spring training scarcely used Burleson in the outfield, preferring instead to put him at first base backing up Willson Contreras or to use him as the DH. He didn't make his first outfield start until April 30, but Thursday's game one start was his fifth on the grass since May 30, dovetailing with an uptick in his offensive production that also came in May.

A complicating factor is the presence of Iván Herrera, who, despite cooling off in recent weeks, remains arguably the team's most productive hitter. Herrera, though, has been largely relegated to DH duty in recent weeks as Pedro Pagés establishes himself as the team's starting catcher through his prodigious defensive ability; Pagés was recently named Sports Info Solutions' MLB defensive player of the month for May, recording eight defensive runs saved in the month.

"He's been one of the biggest keys to what our [pitching] staff has been able to do," Marmol said of Pagés. "Pedro has been a big part of utilizing each guy's arsenal appropriately and giving them the best chance to navigate lineups."

"You can chase offense," Marmol added later, "but I do believe that good teams have defensively-minded catchers, and I'll stick by that."

Vilade's presence on the roster seemingly dovetails with Jordan Walker's time on the injured list with a sore left wrist, though it's not clear that Walker's return is imminent, despite being eligible to return Sunday from the injured list. He received an injection in the wrist on Wednesday and Marmol said he would consequently be shut down for a number of days to allow the injection to take effect, a timeline which seems certain to draw out his absence for at least an additional week, if not longer.

Vilade has played each of first, second and third base for Triple-A Memphis this season, as well as all three outfield spots. He does offer positional flexibility, if not at shortstop, though he was drafted at the position. He hasn't played there as a professional, however, at any level above A-ball.

The Cardinals in recent years have not often maximized use of their full position player group, often playing short in all but name as they navigate around inflexible lineup spots occupied by players who fit only into narrow niches. In that vein, the situation with Barrero feels similar, especially given that he does not have minor league options and could not be returned to Memphis without clearing waivers.

That is an organizational decision as much as it is a managerial decision. It's the manager, however, who will be left picking appropriate spots as this long month begins to drag on and the Cardinals fight against the risks of a potential June swoon. How those pieces fit in those spots – whether an attempt is made for them to do so at all – will determine in part how much success lays ahead.

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