C-Mart, Sosa cleared to resume activity

Carlos Martínez and Edmundo Sosa have been cleared by Major League Baseball to return from the injured list and begin baseball activities, manager Mike Shildt said on Monday. Both players have begun workouts -- light baseball activity and conditioning -- at Busch Stadium.

Sosa was one of nine players who announced through the team that he tested positive for COVID-19 while the Cardinals were in Milwaukee earlier this month. Martínez was placed on the IL for undisclosed reasons.

Other players are still going through the return process, including Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong, both of whom also tested positive for COVID-19. Players who test positive must have two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart, along with other exams. Ten players and eight staff members within the organization tested positive for COVID-19.

Sosa will get in some workouts at Busch Stadium and then likely report to the alternate training site in Springfield, Mo., for batting practice and simulation games. Martínez’s plan is still being determined based on how he feels, when he starts throwing and what the team needs based on its pitching depth after playing eight games in five days in Chicago this week. The Cardinals return home on Thursday for a four-game homestand against the Reds.

“There’s a lot of moving parts. It’s not just the baseball side of this, it’s the medical clearance and what the recommendations are on activity leading up to getting back up to baseball protocols,” Shildt said. “Clearly, we’re in a lot of moving parts with our pitching, and the next three days will provide a lot of opportunities, and we’ll be mindful of how guys are being used. So that could impact Carlos, not that he would be back on Thursday necessarily."

Reinforced roster

To add fresh arms to their pitching staff ahead of Monday’s doubleheader, the Cardinals added right-hander Nabil Crismatt to the active roster and optioned right-hander Roel Ramirez, who gave up six runs in an inning on Saturday and who will stay on the taxi squad while the team is in Chicago. Crismatt made his Major League debut in Game 2, a 5-4 loss, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out two in one inning of work.

The Cardinals also activated right-hander Jake Woodford, who threw three innings in the second game on Saturday, as the 29th man for the doubleheader.

Following their 3-1 win in Game 1 on Monday, the Cardinals optioned first baseman John Nogowski -- just a few minutes after he was ready to pinch-hit in the seventh inning -- and added right-hander Ryan Meisinger to the 40-man and active rosters. Nogowski will stay on the taxi squad. Meisinger, claimed off waivers from the Orioles in 2018, was added to the Cardinals’ player pool during the team’s break to give the team pitching depth as it dealt with the coronavirus outbreak.

A Minor League free-agent signing this past offseason, Crismatt played with the Mets and Mariners organizations for more than eight Minor League seasons. The 25-year-old appeared in 167 games, posting a 3.82 ERA over 641 2/3 innings with 11 saves and four complete games. Playing Double-A ball the past two seasons, he was a Texas League All-Star in ’19 and an Eastern League All-Star in ’18. He is the first pitcher from Colombia to pitch for the Cardinals in franchise history and just the 11th in Major League Baseball all-time.

“Little older guy with some Minor League experience that looks like he knows how to pitch a little bit and make pitches and throw strikes and get the best out of whatever stuff he has,” Shildt said.

Worth noting

• Despite being the home team for Game 2 in Monday’s doubleheader -- a makeup of last weekend’s postponed games at Busch Stadium -- the Cardinals won’t be wearing their home white uniforms. They’ll still be in road grays.

“It’s going to be a little unique,” Shildt said.

Added Matt Carpenter: “There’s nothing about what’s going on right now that’s normal anyway, so why not just add another oddity to this season? I don’t think it’ll be weirder for guys. There’s cardboard cutouts in the stands right now. That’s weird enough.”

• Speaking of cardboard cutouts, the Cardinals announced they are now selling those at Busch Stadium. For $70, fans can submit a photo of themselves and have a 2D photo printed and placed in the seats. Proceeds will benefit Cardinals Care. For more information, visit cardinals.com/cardboard.

Quotable

“It’s a challenge, but the good thing is, our guys [have] a good mindset. We realized -- we’re basically playing like we have nothing to lose, because we really don’t. Not a lot of people expect a lot out of us given the circumstances and what we’ve been through. The layoff, we’ve got guys on our roster that we’re usually counting on that aren’t here with us. Nobody’s expecting anything out of us, so sometimes that’s a good place to be mentally when you don’t have expectations. You just go out and play.” -- Carpenter, on a condensed schedule and team expectations