Cardinals Officially DFA Struggling Utility Man After Tumultuous Stint In St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly were busy Tuesday afternoon. 

St. Louis made a plethora of moves Tuesday morning. The Cardinals activated young starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore off the injured list, placed left-handed pitcher JoJo Romero on the injured list, recalled infielder José Fermín from the Memphis Redbirds, and designated infielder Taylor Motter for assignment, according to the club.

Motter has been a journeyman throughout his professional career. The 33-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals ahead of the 2023 campaign. Motter made the Cardinals' roster out of spring training but has bounced around the big leagues and minor leagues throughout the season. The utility man appeared in 29 games with the Cardinals this season and slashed .171/.232/.211 to go along with three doubles and two RBIs. Motter appeared in 56 games with the Memphis and slashed .255/.343/.438 to go along with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. 

The 33-year-old is a six-year Major League Baseball veteran and has spent time with the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, and most recently the Cardinals this season.

Motter will now look for a new home after being designated for assignment by St. Louis. Clubs will have one week to place a waiver claim on Motter. If a team does so, they would immediately need to place him on their 40-man roster. If Motter goes unclaimed, he could either return to the minor leagues or he could possibly become a free agent. 

More MLB: Could Answer To Cardinals Troubles Already Be With Club? One Hurler Is Making Case