Carlson, Oquendo to be on field for Cardinals’ doubleheader in Chicago

It’s official: Dylan Carlson is on the St. Louis Cardinals‘ major league roster. And he’s in the starting lineup Saturday afternoon.

Carlson, the top prospect in the St. Louis system, was selected to the roster from the team’s alternate training site in Springfield in advance of a doubleheader against the White Sox in Chicago. Carlson will make his major league debut when he starts in left field in the first game, batting sixth.

Carlson, 21, was the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year last season. He batted a combined .292 with 26 home runs, 68 RBIs, 28 doubles, eight triples, 20 stolen bases and 95 runs scored in 126 games with Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis.

The Cardinals made several other personnel moves Saturday, adjusting their roster in the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak that has paused their season since a July 29 loss in Minnesota.

Also selected from Springfield were first baseman John Nogowski and pitchers Seth Elledge, Rob Kaminsky and Ricardo Sánchez, the latter recalled as the 29th man for the doubleheader. None of the five players has major league experience.

The Cardinals also placed pitcher Austin Gomber on the injured list. Contact tracing indicated he may be at risk of COVID-19 exposure, though he has not tested positive. The left-hander joins outfielders Austin Dean and Lane Thomas and pitcher Ryan Helsley as recent additions to the injured list.

The Cardinals also announced that José Oquendo and Roberto Espinoza have been added to the coaching staff. Oquendo will coach third base, a post he held with the club from 1999-2015 and in 2018. The 57-year-old veteran of 12 big league seasons had been coaching players in Springfield.

The club assigned pitchers Nabil Crismatt, Ryan Meisinger and Jesús Cruz to their taxi squad and added pitcher Bryan Dobzanski, catcher Pedro Pages and infielder Kramer Robertson to the alternate training site roster.