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The Cardinals designated Ruben Tejada for assignment Saturday afternoon, according to ESPN's Mark Saxon.
Indications are the #Cardinals will designated Ruben Tejada for assignment to accommodate Matt Carpenter's return from the paternity list
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) May 28, 2016
Matt Carpenter is returning from the paternity list and will likely take Tejada's spot on the roster.
St. Louis signed Tejada to a $1.5 million major league contract after being released by the Mets. The Cardinals have been determining how to address their need at shortstop with Jhonny Peralta on the disabled list.
Peralta is close to returning, and the Cardinals have turned to Aledmys Diaz at short.
Tejada, 26, has struggled to produce this season, batting .176/.225/.235 to complement three RBIs.
Tejada has always been known as more of a defensive shortstop and is a career .254 hitter. Clubs seeking shortstop depth could utilize Tejada off the bench in what might prove to be a low-risk, high-reward signing if he isn't outrighted.
Instead of optioning Greg Garcia, who has had a notable amount of success over 10 games this season, the Cardinals made the decision to part ways with Tejada.