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| Cardinals manager Tony La Russa thinks Colby Rasmus can still be an impact piece for this year's team. But lately the manager has continually penciled in Jon Jay while Rasmus sits on the bench. - Photo courtesy of Getty Images |
After some media turmoil surrounding Rasmus, his malignant father, and the Cardinals organization circled over the past 10 days, La Russa has done most of his talking regarding the situation through his lineup cards.
Jay has started in five of the team's seven games since the All-Star break.
While La Russa has seemingly chosen Jay to be his stalwart in center field for the time being, the manager continues to diplomatically say the right things to the media regarding Rasmus.
La Russa cites, at least publicly, the Rasmus could be the piece of the puzzle that pushes this team over the top.
"I'm going to play Colby enough to keep him alive and hopefully get him going. If he gets going, he could be the difference. That's the way I look at it," La Russa told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Many have speculated that the Cardinals could be shopping Rasmus in order to clear the way for Jay to play center field on a full time basis. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak insists that the club is not looking to move Rasmus despite his lack of performance at the plate and the continuous clubhouse distractions caused by his insistence on getting advice from his father rather than the club's hitting instructors.
Jay has certainly outplayed Rasmus both at the plate and in the field. Jay is hitting .308 on the season with seven home runs and a .357 on base percentage.
Meanwhile, Rasmus is hitting .241 with nine home runs and a .327 on base percentage that continues to plunge.
Whatever the organization decides to do between now and the trade deadline, there is one thing for certain. La Russa is saying the right things to the media while clearly choosing Jay over Rasmus when it comes time to put his best nine on the field.
"We have a healthy outfield situation because we have someone sitting who can play," La Russa said. "Right now, Jay is giving us an offensive boost."
For once, Tony is playing nice while he tries to help Rasmus figure out a way to somehow play better.
Sources:
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