Cardinals release Jhonny Peralta

UPDATE (June 13): St. Louis released Peralta, meaning he will be free to sign with any club for the major-league minimum.
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ORIGINAL: The Cardinals have designated infielder Jhonny Peralta for assignment, general manager John Mozeliak announced Friday afternoon. The move creates room for Kolten Wong, who was activated off the disabled list.

Peralta, who recently turned 35, has hit just .204/.259/.204 in 58 plate appearances for St. Louis this year, losing playing time to Jedd Gyorko at third base. He is in the final year of the four-year, $53 million deal he signed with the Cardinals before the 2014 season and is owed $10 million this year.

St. Louis has lost its last seven games, falling to fourth in the NL Central at 4.5 games behind the division-leading Brewers. Mozeliak called a 3 p.m. ET press conference to announce major changes to the club, including the Peralta move and coaching changes that will see third base coach Chris Maloney re-assigned and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller take a leave of absence.

Peralta may find a new home in the next week or so, as contenders like the Yankees and Red Sox are both in need of third base depth due to struggles on their own rosters. St. Louis will have seven days to try to find a trade partner for Peralta (in which they would likely take on a good portion of his remaining salary), but will likely just release him to give him the opportunity to latch on with a new club.