Cards add Webb, Ravelo; option Helsley, Leone

CINCINNATI -- The Cardinals roster composition evened itself out with Sunday morning’s transactions.

St. Louis recalled left-handed reliever Tyler Webb and first basemen/outfielder Rangel Ravelo from Triple-A Memphis. Right-handed relievers Ryan Helsley and Dominic Leone were optioned in corresponding moves, giving the Cardinals 13 pitchers and 12 position players after playing Saturday night with a short bench.

Ravelo will be plugged right into the lineup Sunday afternoon for the series finale against the Reds. The 27-year-old rookie is playing first base and batting third to give Paul Goldschmidt a day off during a 17-game stretch for the Cardinals.

Ravelo has played in six Major League games and is back with St. Louis for the third time this season. He brings power to the lineup, hitting .313 in 77 games this season in Memphis, with nine home runs and 43 RBIs.

“I’m super happy for another opportunity,” Ravelo said through a translator. “I’ve been trying to take good at-bats, play the ball hard and keep playing my game.”

Helsley threw two scoreless innings of relief to keep the Cardinals within striking distance Saturday night in their 3-2 loss to the Reds, but the Cardinals had called him up to provide support in an overworked bullpen, opting to have one less position player on their 25-man roster.

Manager Mike Shildt had said that composition wouldn’t last long; Helsley knew he was there to pitch for a day.

“Helsley did his job, he got rewarded by being sent back out,” Shildt said. “Appreciated his innings for sure, helped our bullpen freshen up a little bit, but that’s the way of the world.”

Recalling Webb was a strategic move, joining Andrew Miller and Chasen Shreve as another left-handed arm in the bullpen. With a lefty-heavy Pirates lineup coming up for the four-game set in Pittsburgh, Webb was a better option than Leone.

Webb went to Memphis on July 7 and has allowed five hits and one run in four appearances (5 1/3 innings) with the Redbirds since. In 36 appearances in the Majors this year with a 4.45 ERA over 30 1/3 innings with 26 strikeouts.

Day off for Goldy

Sunday lined up well for a day off for Goldschmidt, who is 2-for-12 in the first three games of the series against the Reds, with seven strikeouts. He’ll be available off the bench Sunday.

“I think it’s a good time,” Shildt said. “We planned on getting Ravelo back, and it worked with him getting back today with where the season is, the calendar and the games played and games coming up. Give him a little bit of a break from the start of the game.”

Goldschmidt had been heating up at the plate in the week leading up to the All-Star break and the homestand that followed. He was hitting .286 and slugging .643 in 12 games before the Cardinals came to Cincinnati, with four home runs and 12 RBIs. But at Great American Ball Park, he fell into another slump.

“I haven’t consistently been hitting the ball hard and consistently having good at-bats, whether there’s runners on or no runners on,” Goldschmidt said Saturday. “Haven’t been doing a good enough job. I’m looking at video, hitting in the cage, trying to figure out -- not figure out, but trying to play better and help us. Really haven’t been able to do that almost this entire season.”

Shildt said he’s not concerned about Goldschmidt’s recent decrease in numbers, noting that the first baseman has been pitched hard over the past three days and is working to overcome the struggles, trying to be aggressive early in the count and taking consistent at-bats.

“He’s in a little bit of a trap,” Shildt said. “He has those three weeks, he has the start of the season, and he puts up numbers, then, rightfully, everyone goes, ‘Well of course, that’s what he’s done. That’s what he’s here for.’ But it feels like there’s not as much reward or appreciation for it… The trap would be when he doesn’t quite do it as well, there’s this, ‘Oh gosh.’

“And granted, he hasn’t had a good series. He nor I are alibis to that, he was upfront about it after the game. You want to appreciate not blindly the fact that he had a really nice three weeks of hitting the ball, hitting the ball like he’s capable of doing. He had some big hits, some hard outs, then he’s been pitched really toughed the last three game.”

Carpenter resumes baseball activities

Matt Carpenter, on the injured list with a right foot bone contusion, has resumed baseball activities. His foot is still sore, Shildt said, but the Cardinals third baseman is taking grounders, swings and lightly running the bases. Shildt said it will be “sooner rather than later” that Carpenter begins a rehab assignment.

Carpenter will do his rehab either in Memphis or Double-A Springfield, looking to get game action rather than a quantity of at-bats.