ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals activated outfielder
Roger Cedeno from the 15-day disabled list Friday night, and then
designated him for assignment.
Cedeno was batting .158 in 57 at-bats with eight RBIss, five of
them as a pinch hitter. He had been on the DL since June 6 with a
strained hamstring.
But the move didn't mean a longer stay in the major leagues for
Scott Seabol, who at 30 has been getting his first extended action.
Seabol was hitting .254 with one home run and eight RBIss in 59
at-bats, and has filled in at third base and the outfield, but in a
bit of a surprise he was optioned to Triple-A Memphis after Friday
night's 8-1 victory over Pittsburgh.
Manager Tony La Russa said the team would recall utility player
Hector Luna, who spent all of last season with the Cardinals as a
Rule 5 draftee. Luna started at five positions last year.
"This will give us more flexibility," La Russa said.
Seabol was shocked at the news.
"I don't know what to say," Seabol said. "They just told me
to keep working."
Besides his struggles with the Cardinals, Cedeno also had not
impressed during a rehab stint with Memphis where he was 4-for-23
in eight games. General manager Walt Jocketty had personally
scouted Cedeno's progress in recent days.
Before the game, La Russa was noncommittal about Cedeno's
future. The move was announced in the second inning of the game
against the Pirates.
"I haven't seen him, I just know he hasn't lit it up," La
Russa said. "There's quite a few big leaguers that go down to
rehab and their stats are not the greatest. I'm not judging."
Cedeno, 30, batted .265 in 200 at-bats for St. Louis last year
with three homers, 23 RBIss and five steals. He appeared in three
World Series and went 1-for-4. He has played for the Dodgers, Mets,
Astros and Tigers in a career that began in 1995.
The Cardinals acquired him from the Mets for infielder Wilson
Delgado and catcher Chris Widger April 3, 2004, two days before the
season started. Cedeno stole a career-best 66 bases in 1999 for the
Mets and 55 for the Tigers in 2001.