JUPITER, Fla. — As their starting shortstop Tommy Edman returns from the World Baseball Classic and adjusts back to a spring training regimen, the Cardinals have encountered some unexpected hitches in the schedule for how the positions looks beyond him.
Paul DeJong, targeted for a ton of playing time while Edman was overseas playing second base for South Korea, remains out of the lineup as he addresses a sore lower back.
The discomfort is something he feels when fielding the ball, so DeJong has been able to continue workouts in the batting cage.
Already this spring the Cardinals have lost Jose Fermin (hamstring) to an injury and optioned him to minor-league camp.