Skip to content

Report: Cardinals to omit Pierzynski, Motte from NLDS roster

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Though the St. Louis Cardinals won't submit their roster for the National League Division Series until Friday morning, manager Mike Matheny reportedly knows which 25 players he intends to staff for the impending best-of-five showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Matheny's roster will be constructed with a desire to "maintain depth in the bullpen," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but won't include reliever Jason Motte, who returned from Tommy John surgery in May. The right-hander fashioned a 4.68 ERA across 29 appearances this season, managing a career-worst 15.5 percent strikeout rate.

The Cardinals will also head into Friday's series opener without veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, instead choosing Tony Cruz to back up for six-time All-Star Yadier Molina. Pierzynski, who signed with the Cardinals after being released by the Boston Red Sox, hit .244/.295/.305 with one home run over 30 games in St. Louis while throwing out just 14 percent of potential base-stealers.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox