JUPITER, Fla. — A flurry of moves on Wednesday left the St. Louis Cardinals much closer to a 25-man roster.
The team cut three players, releasing Deivi Cruz and optioning outfielder John Gall and first baseman/outfielder Chris Duncan to Triple-A Memphis. Earlier in the week the Cardinals released reliever John Nelson and utility player Brian Daubach.
Cruz, signed to an $800,000 contract in December, batted just .146 in 41 at-bats with one home run and two RBIs. Gall hit .207 with one homer and 10 RBIs and Duncan, who had a pinch-hit at-bat on Wednesday, was one of the surprises of camp with a .273 average, four home runs and 11 RBIs.
That total included a home run off the Yankees’ Randy Johnson.
Cruz was cut before the Cardinals played the Florida Marlins in an exhibition game and was unavailable for comment. Gall and Duncan were optioned after the game.
Manager Tony La Russa also said rookie right-hander Adam Wainwright had made the team’s bullpen. The team has relievers Josh Hancock, Alan Benes and Brian Falkenborg in the mix for the final bullpen spot, and there are five players competing for four spots on the bench.
“It’s just us trying to keep figuring which is the best mix,” La Russa said. “You evaluate the whole spring, but every time you get a chance to see the guys you’re adding to what you’ve been observing.”
Cruz had been competing for an infield spot with Junior Spivey and Aaron Miles. Spivey is likely to be the opening day starter despite a .145 average and four errors.
“He had to do more with his opportunity,” La Russa said of Cruz.
Duncan, 24, is the son of pitching coach Dave Duncan. He was a supplemental first-round pick in 1999.
A few weeks ago, La Russa said flatly that Duncan was not a candidate to make the team. Duncan got another chance this week after Larry Bigbie was sidelined with a stress fracture in his left heel, but ended camp in a 1-for-12 slump.
“Up until a couple of days ago I really didn’t feel like I had a good chance, so this is pretty much what I planned on happening,” Duncan said. “I’ll just go down there and work hard.”
Duncan got 77 spring at-bats, high on the team. Most of the playing time came in right field, but he also made an outstanding diving catch in left earlier this week.
“It worked out good for me,” he said. “I got a chance to play a lot and that’s all you can ask for. Some guys really don’t get a chance to play every day in spring.”
Gall, who turns 28 on Sunday, has become something of a perennial prospect with the team. He made his major league debut last year, batting .270 in 37 at-bats and making the postseason roster.
“It’s a tough call with John,” La Russa said. “We’ve got to narrow it down at some point and that’s what we did.”
Gall already has played three full seasons at Memphis, all with good offensive numbers. He batted .270 there last year with 13 home runs and 64 RBIs in 374 at-bats.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m going against the grain, but I’ve got to continue to do it,” Gall said. “There’s no choice, so I’m going to go down there and keep fighting to get back up here.”