Cards promote Wisdom, place Munoz on DL

KANSAS CITY -- Passed over time and time again in recent years, Patrick Wisdom finally got that coveted big league promotion on Saturday.
Triple-A manager Stubby Clapp delivered the news late Friday night when Wisdom least expected it. The emotions, as Wisdom described them a day later, ran the gamut.
"Happy, sad, nervous anxious," Wisdom said before Saturday night's game against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. "You name it. I felt it. Just really giddy the whole time."

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So giddy, in fact, that Wisdom didn't sleep at all while he waited for an early morning taxi to take him to the airport.
"It's a long time coming, but I'm ready now and I'm just happy to be here," he said. "I'm just so ecstatic. I'm at a loss for words sometimes."
The Cardinals purchased Wisdom's contract on Saturday while also placing Yairo Muñoz on the 10-day disabled list with a right wrist sprain. The club moved injured reliever Luke Gregerson to the 60-day DL to open a spot for Wisdom on the 40-man roster.
Wisdom, 26, has been one of the most prolific offensive players in the Cardinals' farm system for the last two seasons. He led Triple-A Memphis with 31 homers and 89 RBIs in 2017, but he was not included among the team's September callups or plucked by any other team in the Rule 5 Draft.
As he prepared to come back for his seventh season with the organization, Wisdom sought to improve his case for a callup by tapping into his defensive versatility and becoming a more complete hitter. He described his approach as "selectively aggressive," and shared how he plays mind games with himself to encourage more plate patience.

"I'm just more mature," said Wisdom, who will be a defensive option at first and third for the Cardinals. "I've grown up mentally. I understand the game a little better. Obviously, more experience helps. I am more mentally mature and can handle the game better."
The payoff has been noticeable. Wisdom had career highs in batting average (.289), on-base percentage (.363) and OPS (.842) in 103 games with Memphis. He hit 24 doubles and 14 homers to go with 58 RBIs.
"He's continued to evolve," interim manager Mike Shildt said. "Patrick is a really conscientious guy working on his craft. Everybody earns [the chance] to get here in some fashion. Everybody's path differs. But this guy took a path that has been a challenge for him, and he's been able to continue to play and put up numbers and get rewarded."
Munoz to DL
Munoz's strong rookie campaign hit a snag with a right wrist injury, which he'll have further evaluated by a hand specialist in St. Louis on Monday.
Munoz first jammed his wrist last Friday while running into the right-field wall at PNC Park to make a catch. Discomfort returned a few days later on a checked swing in Miami, and the pain became too much to handle on Friday after swinging and missing on a pitch in the sixth inning. He exited after a brief conversation with athletic trainer Adam Olsen.
"I just felt cramps in the hand, and I couldn't move the wrist," said Munoz, who was wearing a brace on Saturday. "It still hurts."
Shildt described the ailment as similar to tendinitis and confirmed that an MRI revealed no structural damage.
Gregerson running out of time
By shifting Gregerson to the 60-day DL, the veteran reliever will not be eligible to return until the final week of the season. The Cardinals have not officially ruled his season over, but it would be a challenge for Gregerson to get himself ready to pitch that late in September. Opportunities to pitch on a rehab assignment will run out midway through the month when the Minor League season ends.
Gregerson, sidelined now by a right shoulder impingement, made 17 relief appearances in the first season of a two-year deal with the Cardinals. In addition to shoulder issues, Gregerson has been shelved by a hamstring strain and knee surgery at earlier points in the season.
Rehab roundup
Playing in the first game of a rehab assignment with Memphis, Tyler O'Neill (groin inflammation) went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and two strikeouts on Friday.