The St. Louis Cardinals have placed veteran slugger and outfielder Tommy Pham on waivers. The Chicago White Sox traded Pham to the Cardinals at the MLB trade deadline. In 77 plate appearances, he slashed .206/.286/.368 with a .653 OPS and two home runs. Placing Pham on waivers will allow younger players in the Cardinals’ farm system to play at the big-league level.
Cardinals To Place Tommy Pham On Waivers https://t.co/kbcdzD5rC0 pic.twitter.com/UkYdPOwoLm
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 29, 2024
Veteran Cardinals Outfielder Tommy Pham Placed on Waivers
Pham’s Struggles With the Cardinals
Despite his unsuccessful time with the Cardinals this season, Pham had already made his mark there and elsewhere. He made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2014 and has played for many teams since then. He’s also played for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and Arizona Diamondbacks, along with his time in Chicago earlier this season. But now that Pham has been placed on waivers, he can be claimed by another team. Whether he will rejoin one of the many teams he has already previously played for is up in the air.
However, if Pham passes through waivers and isn’t claimed, he can still be present on the Cardinals’ active roster this season. Pham is an 11-year veteran who has batted .268 with a .828 OPS, 42 doubles, 46 home runs, and 122 RBI against left-handed pitchers in his career. But this season with the Cardinals, Pham has been unable to replicate the same hitting success against left-handed pitching.
If a contending team wants to add Pham, they must do so before September 1st in order for him to qualify for the postseason. Pham could not produce with the bases loaded in the fifth inning against Padres pitcher Michael King on Thursday. This may have helped influence the Cardinals decision to cut their reunion with Pham short. In a nutshell, his performance wasn’t what St. Louis expected out of the 36-year-old. The Cardinals are 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot and did not receive the boost they needed from him.
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