Cardinals rumors: St. Louis to release Ronny Cedeno?

Infielder Ronny Cedeno is currently competing for a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals' bench, but the veteran could wind up being released by the team before the start of the regular season, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.

Langosch points out that, at this point, the Cardinals' bench has "four virtual locks," Tony Cruz, Shane Robinson, Ty Wigginton and either Matt Carpenter or Daniel Descalso. That leaves two players -- Cedeno and Matt Adams -- vying for one spot.

When it was announced that veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal required Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire 2013 season, many expected Cedeno and Pete Kozma to fill in. However, St. Louis appears comfortable using Kozma as their regular at short. If the team views Descalso as a viable backup at the position, Langosch believes they could move forward without Cedeno.

Cedeno signed with the Cardinals in January after spending the 2012 season with the New York Mets. Last year he hit .259/.332/.410 with 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs over 186 plate appearances. The 30-year-old has spent time with four teams during his eight seasons in the majors, and he owns a career batting line of .247/.290/.357.