Pena, Wieters battling for backup catcher role

JUPITER, Fla. -- Francisco Pena made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster in 2018, and he's looking to make it two in a row with a strong Spring Training finish this year, too.

The 29-year-old is a candidate to win a spot as the backup catcher, a job that will likely go either to him or veteran Matt Wieters. It's difficult to handicap who might have the advantage, but Pena has some work to do after he missed 11 days with an oblique injury.

Pena, who, like Wieters, is in camp as a non-roster invitee, returned to the lineup on Saturday for the Cardinals' 8-5 win over the Nationals FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach. He played five innings, had three at-bats -- though no hits -- and threw out Yadiel Hernandez attempting to steal second.

"He got the three at-bats we were hoping to get him, he threw a guy out ... he's in a good spot," Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said. "I feel like he's back."

The decision -- Pena or Wieters -- will have to be made soon. They both have opt-out clauses in their Minor League deals that will allow them to become free agents if not added to the Major League roster by the end of camp.

"We're continuing to gather information to make a decision," Shildt said. "It'll be a decision that will be made within a week."

Pena had a hot start to the spring before his injury, logging five hits in 14 at-bats with three RBIs over five games. He prepared for Saturday's game knowing he had some catching up to do.

"It's a little bit hard because you want to show what you can do," Pena said. "The good thing is they know what I can do. When I started Spring Training, I showed them I was playing well, swinging the bat well, catching well.

"At the same time, I have to come out now and start again, and keep showing that I'm ready to go, that I can play and help the team in the future."

Wieters has had a slower start at the plate, recording three hits in 19 at-bats (.158) over eight Grapefruit League games, but offensive performances won't necessarily dictate this race.

Experience is a likely factor, and in that respect, the 32-year-old Wieters would have the advantage. He has played 10 seasons in the big leagues -- eight with Baltimore, and two with Washington.

Wieters signed a Minor League deal with the Cardinals on Feb. 27 and reported to camp around two weeks later than his teammates.

Physically, late arrivals aren't usually an issue. Players come to Spring Training in good shape after spending most of the offseason working out.

Wieters' main challenge was simply to learn as much as he could about the Cardinals pitchers he'll be catching this year, should he make the team.

"You can make up for a little bit of it catching bullpens," Wieters said. "Obviously, the more reps you get, the better it is. You make do with what you have."

Gregerson progresses

Reliever Luke Gregerson threw a bullpen session on Saturday, his third this spring, and while he said he has made noticeable improvements, he has yet to take "that big jump forward."

Gregerson, who missed 128 games with a shoulder injury last season, was optimistic about his progress but acknowledged there's still work to do.

"I guess I should expect that, because I didn't [pitch] for so long, and there's always a catch-up period," Gregerson said. "But whatever was going on in my shoulder is starting to feel tremendously better."

Part of the process is regaining rhythm and timing on the mound, which can be challenging after a long layoff. When that comes back, other elements start falling into place, and Gregerson sensed his most recent bullpen session was a positive indicator of the progress in that area.

"The ball's moving really well," he said. "If the ball's moving, I'm happy. I don't care if it's 83 [mph], or 93. It's moving."

Still in the mix

Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed three earned runs over four innings in his start against the Astros on Friday and will carry a spring ERA of 7.71 into the final stages of his audition for the fifth starter job.

Shildt said on Saturday that Ponce de Leon will make another spring start, as scheduled, with hopes for more efficient innings than he had during his outing against Houston.

"It was a long inning, short inning, longer inning, shorter inning," Shildt said. "We want to get more shorter innings, more consistency controlling counts. His stuff's more than fine, obviously."

Up next

The Cardinals will play the Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. CT in Jupiter. Right-hander John Gant will make his fifth appearance and third start of the spring for St. Louis, while the Marlins, who will be the home team for this game, will counter with right-hander Trevor Richards.