Dugout Dish

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the last few years, you have heard of outfielder Harrison Bader at some point. During the off-season, he was the face of the St. Louis Cardinals and helped reveal the new (cursed) blue uniforms. He’s eccentric, exciting and all around a charming guy. To top it off, he’s one of the best defensive outfielders in Major League Baseball but this year, he has fallen short offensively.

Before being sent back down to Memphis AAA on July 29, 2019, Bader was repping a .195 average with 6 HR, 19 RBI, 6 SB, and a .648 OPS. The organization told him to “get it right.” And as of late, it seems like he is “getting it right,” slashing .322/.429/.678. And worth noting, he has matched his current MLB home run total for 90 games, in the last 15 games played with the Memphis Redbirds.

As I watched his last few ABs in the Majors, you could see that he looked, well lost at the plate. The once confident Bader seemed like an entirely different person with each swing and miss. So naturally, I began keeping track of his AAA stint. With each at bat, he looked more and more like the Harrison Bader that I watched last season and in the beginning of this season.

I might sound biased because I enjoy watching Bader play. I’ve had the chance to see him in action this season and it’s obvious that he is a fan favorite. I’m glad that he’s coming back and I hope he proves that he is the baseball player that we all know he can be. If his offense catches up to his defense, he will be solid baseball player.

The unofficial news broke this morning when Rick Hummel sent out a tweet that OF Randy Arozarena would be sent back to Memphis AAA and Bader would be coming back to St. Louis on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. There is no official announcement from the St. Louis Cardinals organization at this time. (Addendum: The St. Louis Cardinals made the announcement at 12:14 pm on Twitter.)

Worth noting: OF Randy Arozarena had two hits with an RBI in eight ABs during his first stint in the Majors. His first MLB hit came off of Kevin McCarthy in the top of the 7th inning against Kansas City, allowing Kolten Wong to score. I’m quite certain that Cardinals fans will get to see Arozarena back with the big club on September 1, when the roster expands from 25 to 40 during September call-ups.

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(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)