By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | June 4, 2016, 11:17 am CT
Images: St. Louis Cardinals / Twitter
Just over two months after undergoing surgery on his left knee following a freak injury during spring training, Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including MLB.com’s Nick Krueger, on Friday.
Signed to a two-year, $5 million contract this offseason to back up Yadier Molina, Pena, 34, required an operation to remove a loose particle of cartilage in his left knee after slipping in a slick visiting dugout before a Grapefruit League game.
Mozeliak said that the team will likely use most all of the 20 days allowed for a rehab assignment, and that Pena will get ample time to build up his endurance behind the plate while also serving as the designated hitter some days.
The veteran backstop caught Carlos Martinez’s between-start bullpen session Friday and said after that it was a “great test.”
“Everything feels good. I’m not stiff at all, and [Martinez] liked what he saw, so that’s good,” Pena said.
Pena’s return could spell more time off for Molina, who’s on pace to catch more innings this season than he ever has before.
MANESS MAKING PROGRESS
Meanwhile, reliever Seth Maness, sidelined by right elbow inflammation, has also made recent progress. The right-hander began throwing during the Cardinals’ most recent road trip, and plans to throw bullpen sessions on Saturday and Monday, Krueger reports.
“The pain I was feeling is gone, and that’s a good place to start,” Maness said. “I can’t really put a percentage on it, but it’s a lot better than it was.”
Maness went on the disabled list in mid-May, just one day after the club announced it had optioned the 27-year-old to AAA Memphis, after consulting with a doctor.
The ground-ball specialist pitched to a disappointing 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings this season and experienced a concerning drop in both velocity and strikeout rate.
CARDS SIGN VETERAN PITCHER WILLIAMS TO MINORS DEAL
Needing additional starting pitching depth following injuries to Jeremy Hefner, Tim Cooney, and Marco Gonzales, who will be out for the season, the Cardinals agreed to a minor league contract with veteran right-hander Jerome Williams, GM John Mozeliak told reporters, including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on Friday.
Williams, 34, has not pitched yet this season after undergoing a procedure on his Achilles tendon, but has appeared in parts of ten seasons in the majors, pitching to a cumulative 4.57 ERA over 225 appearances (149 starts).
The former first-round pick, who posted a 4-12 record with a 5.80 ERA in 21 starts for the Phillies last season, will join a AAA Memphis staff that now includes top prospect Alex Reyes, Arturo Reyes, Mike Mayers, and Deck McGuire.
More from STL Baseball Today:
Mozeliak: Jhonny Peralta likely to be activated Tuesday, will be starting third baseman
Redbirds Roundup: Moss’ pinch-hit homer ties Cards record, Reyes impresses again
Aside from Molina, NL All-Star balloting not kind to Cards thus far
Report: Cardinals ‘unlikely’ to receive any hacking punishment before June draft
