Yesterday, we wrote about speculation that the Cardinals were going to demote reliever Mitchell Boggs, despite his 3.66 ERA and generally effective performance this season.
Mitchell Boggs, Cards’ Closer In April, Now Starting In Triple-A
Well, it happened. With infielder Skip Schumaker coming off the DL and catcher Gerald Laird going on the DL, Boggs was sent to Triple-A Memphis and catcher Tony Cruz was called up.
Why demote Boggs? He hasn't pitched well in May, and his ERA is actually one of the highest among the St. Louis relievers (though not nearly as high as Ryan Franklin's). Mostly, it seems the Cardinals just want Boggs to get some work. A lot of work, as he'll be starting games for Memphis.
MLB.com’s Tom Krasovic:
His new role will be familiar to Boggs, who started 102 of his 103 outings in the Minors.
“The most important thing is that Mitchell is a young guy that, as soon as he can have command of extra things, he can be very special,” La Russa said. “It’s tough to do it here as a reliever unless you’re in all of those games just to get work, and that’s not been happening too often.”
Boggs did not fare particularly well as a starter in the minors, failing to crack the 2.00 strikeout-to-walk barrier in any of his three Double- and Triple-A seasons. Which is presumably why the Cardinals made him a full-time reliever in 2010.
If the Cardinals should need another starting pitcher in the majors this summer, they'll probably turn first to prospect Lance Lynn, who's fared decently enough with Memphis this spring. But if they should need another reliever -- as they inevitably will -- Boggs should be back.
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