Cardinals Are 'Holding Back' Phenom Per MLB Writer

The St. Louis Cardinals have been an interesting spot so far this season.

They've had a cold stretch recently, although they did get back in the win column on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals now are 11-15 heading into Saturday's tilt against Milwaukee.

The Cardinals may not have a great record, but there's a lot of talent in the organization. St. Louis didn't make any major trades this past offseason and so there still is plenty of veteran talent on the roster, as well as some young guys fighting for playing time. It's going to be interesting to see how the summer goes and the eventual trade deadline because there are some guys who deserve more time but there are only so many spots to go around.

For example, Thomas Saggese has been fantastic since being called up. He's appeared in 12 games and .400/389/.600 with one homer and seven RBIs. But, there is only so much time to go around with Nolan Gorman and Masyn Winn healthy.

Because of this, FanSided's Scott Plaza ranked him as one of six players that the Cardinals are "holding back."

"Utility infielder Thomas Saggese was called up to the big league club when Masyn Winn went down with a short-term back injury and was expected to serve as a depth option at third, short, and second base," Plaza said. "He was off to a decent start in four games in Memphis, but I was in the camp that if they called him up, he had to be getting regular playing time. So far, he has played in 12 games, including three of the four games against the Mets but did not appear in an inning in the Braves series.

"This was not unexpected, as Masyn Winn was activated from the injured list and Nolan Gorman received regular playing time while Brendan Donovan was nursing a rib injury, but it was still upsetting. Saggese is currently on a four-game hitting streak, where he has six hits, four doubles, and two RBIs. His ability to play multiple positions should have gotten him at least one game in the Atlanta series, but the team opted to go with their usual alignment. What I am starting to advocate for is that Saggese and Gorman start to split infield and DH duties for the foreseeable future."

It's going to be interesting to see how the Cardinals opt to use Saggese in the near future.