ST. LOUIS -- The All-Star break provides a reprieve, a time for weary bodies to rest, for struggling bats to reset and for arms to rejuvenate ahead of the second half. It’s often anticipated by struggling clubs and struggling players, but the opposite can be true for those riding hot streaks.

Count Paul DeJong among that latter group after he compiled a 1.092 OPS over his final 14 games of the first half and hit two home runs in the two games leading into the break.

But a break in the action allowed him to take a more positive outlook.

DeJong went 3-for-4 in Friday’s 7-2 loss to the Giants, his first three-hit game of the season. More encouraging was that he singled twice the opposite way. His slash line over his past 15 games is .349/.451/.674, with a 1.125 OPS.

“Individually, collectively, you have some times where we don't get what we want out of [effort]. You always want to be rewarded, right?” said manager Mike Shildt. “... I've noticed that it's always better, easier said than done, when you have the game come to you. And I think Paul's doing that.”

This hot stretch has made modest improvements to DeJong’s season stats. Going into Saturday's game vs. the Giants, his batting average was .196 and his OPS was .686. But he and the club don't believe this stretch is an aberration, given his 30-homer and All-Star past.

It’s just been a matter of tempering a season-long mindset, following his turbulent 2020.

“For the most part, it's been better managing my own expectations, little by little, kind of crawling into what I know I can do out there, as opposed to trying to bite it all off in one piece,” DeJong said. “... The opportunities are going to be there constantly, so being able to live moment to moment, I think it's a little easier at this point.”

The Cardinals saw incredible value in DeJong, who is under contract through the 2025 season, when they made an early investment by signing him to a six-year extension before he hit arbitration. They still believe the shortstop, who was an All-Star in 2019 and runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2017, is wholly present and just needs to be unlocked.

“You look at Paulie D, we hope that we can get him to go where we think he’s capable of going,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Friday, pointing to DeJong as a hope for improvement when asked about the second half as a whole. “Overall, we have some optimism there. But now you’ve got to do it.”

When he’s been injured -- such as when he missed 25 games with a left rib fracture from May into June -- DeJong has been spelled by Edmundo Sosa, who’s provided a spark plug in spurts.

But when DeJong is healthy, playing to the capability they’ve long seen in him?

“I think when Pauly D is at his highest level, it's hard to just have somebody step in and replace [him],” Mozeliak said.

One game in the second half provided a glimpse of encouragement. Now come 71 more.

“I think I'm just finally settling into playing baseball every day,” DeJong said. “We got a whole second half ahead of us, so I just see the potential.”

More news on Draft picks

After the Cardinals put pen to paper on Friday with Mike McGreevy, their first-round pick in the 2021 Draft, more signings began to follow.

• Draft Central | Draft Tracker: Pick-by-pick coverage

First baseman/outfielder Thomas Francisco (19th round, East Carolina) agreed to terms for $100,000 and outfielder Mike Antico (eighth round, Texas) signed for $20,000, well below the slot value of $171,200, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. Third baseman Osvalado Tovalin (10th round, Azusa Pacific) and left-hander Alfredo Ruiz (sixth-round, Long Beach State) signed for $50,000 while right-hander Zane Mills (fourth round, Washington State) agreed to terms for $375,000, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo. All were under slot value.