Last night was a normal Thursday for Tommy Pham–he started in centerfield for the Memphis Redbirds and hit a two-run homer. Then he ate dinner and went home. It was then he received the news he was going back to the big leagues.
“It was great,” said Pham of being able to return to the Cardinals clubhouse. “Just to see everybody’s faces–it’s a good experience.”
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Pham appeared in six games last September for the Cardinals and with a .412 batting average in Spring Training was in the mix to make the Opening Day roster before a quad strain delayed his season.
“Initially, we all thought was just a Grade 1–just a slight strain,” explained Pham recently on St. Louis Baseball Weekly. “When I went and got my second opinion, I found it was a Grade 2 tear. There was a actually a tear in the muscle–it wasn’t a really big tear, but it was enough to keep me out as much as it did.”
Pham suffered the injury on March 13th and was unable to return to the lineup until June 6th. Since then, he has hit .338 (27-80) with 5 home runs and 21 RBIs in 24 games for Memphis.
He will start in centerfield tonight for the Cardinals and is still seeking the first Major League hit of his career. Pitcher Tim Cooney was optioned back to Memphis in the corresponding roster move.
CARDINALS
Kolten Wong, 2B
Matt Carpenter, 3B
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Jason Heyward, RF
Yadier Molina, C
Randal Grichuk, LF
Xavier Scruggs, 1B
Tommy Pham, CF
Michael Wacha, P
