CHICAGO — The norovirus that kept him away from teammates, sent him to a medical center in Washington, D.C., and led him to shed weight in a few days has cleared, allowing outfielder Dexter Fowler to return the Cardinals bench and be available, they hope, against his former teammate Friday afternoon.
The switch-hitters illness has opened up more playing time for Harrison Bader, who had returned from the injured list to find Fowler playing center and playing well, while Jose Martinez was leading the team in hitting. For the most part, injuries and illness have helped Shildt make the decisions in the outfield before he's had to compare the production of players.