St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong did not mince words when talking about the Tampa Bay Rays and the team's treatment of his brother, 23-year-old infielder Kean Wong.
The younger Wong has slashed .282/.345/.406 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases in 116 games with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate Durham Bulls this season. Kolten said his brother "got (passed) over three or four times," according to Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"He’s just in a bad organization which doesn’t give chances to guys who deserve chances. That’s tough for him. He’s a really good player and not to have a chance is sad."
Kean Wong, a Triple-A All-Star in 2018, won Top Star honors for the International League in the All-Star Game. He is also part of a Bulls team facing off against the Memphis Redbirds (the Cardinals' affiliate) in the Triple-A championship game on Tuesday night.
"To do it in the biggest games and not get a nod ... it’s a slap in the face to him. I had to talk to him and kind of keep him going. They called up a couple of guys that were below him (in classification). They just kind of overlooked him. That’s crazy, for what he’s done in his career."