Outfielder Lane Thomas, who was recalled by the Cardinals from their alternate training site at Sauget, Illinois, to replace injured outfielder Tyler O’Neill (groin strain) on the roster, made two starts in the past week and surprisingly made a bevy of defensive mistakes in center field.
As the Cardinals headed to Philadelphia Thursday on the start of a six-game trip, the club decided Thomas was not the answer for the moment, optioned him to the alternate site and selected the contract of rookie outfielder Scott Hurst from the alternate site. To make room for the lefthanded-hitting, righthanded-throwing Hurst on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals moved injured righthander Dakota Hudson (right elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.