The St. Louis Cardinals' cavalcade of slap-hitting left-handed center fielders got shorter when Skip Schumaker went down with a torn oblique, and it's shorter still now that Adron Chambers has been sent to minor league camp, ending his bid at breaking camp with the big club. Chambers's exit means good things for Erik Komatsu, whose Rule 5 status means he has to spend the entire season on the 25-man roster lest he be placed on waivers.
The decision makes a lot of sense primarily because Chambers and Komatsu are so similar; Chambers, 25 this year, hit .277/.368/.415 with five triples and 22 stolen bases in AAA Memphis. Komatsu, 24, spent last season split between two AA clubs, where he hit .277/.367/.382 with 21 stolen bases. Both are burners, slightly old for their leagues, who don't make sufficient use of their speed; Komatsu projects a little better, but it's probably within the margin of error.
And if they're so close, why not just take Komatsu and keep both of them around? Shane Robinson, a right-handed version of same, is also in competition for that last spot.
The move is also good for backup infielder Matt Carpenter, who's reportedly sewn up a spot.
More St. Louis Cardinals news and updates from SB Nation St. Louis:
- Eduardo Sanchez was also cut, and I'm somewhat less sympathetic to performing roster shenanigans to keep him and Scott Linebrink around...
- We at SB Nation St. Louis would like to apologize for injuring Chris Carpenter.