Pedro Pages, #89, of the St. Louis Cardinals poses for a portrait during St. Louis Cardinals Photo Day at Roger Dean Stadium on February 23, 2023, in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Benjamin Rusnak/Getty Images)
World Baseball Network has confined a newswire for international-born players in Major League Baseball for the first full week of the 2024 regular season.
St. Louis Cardinals Recall Venezuelan Catcher Pedro Pages
St. Louis recalled Venezuelan catcher Pedro Pages back to the majors, the team announced on April 4.
Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain as the corresponding move.
Pages, 25, was born in Maracay, Venezuela, and was drafted out of Florida Atlantic University by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft and signed on June 12, 2019.
During spring training, Pages played in 18 games and hit .240, with 30 plate appearances. He smacked six hits, two doubles, one home run, three RBI, four walks, and seven strikeouts before being optioned to Triple-A Memphis on March 26.
Pages played in three games with Triple-A Memphis and batted .222 in 12 plate appearances, ripping one double, one home run, two RBI, two walks, and two strikeouts before being called up on April 4.
Last season, Pages played in Double-A Springfield for 117 games. He hit .267 with 497 plate appearances, racking up 113 hits, 23 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 72 RBI, 59 walks, 96 strikeouts, and a .806 OPS.
After the 2022 season, Pages played 13 games with the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League. He batted .279 in 48 plate appearances, recording 12 hits, four doubles, one home run, seven RBI, four walks, and nine strikeouts.
During the 2022 season, Pages played between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in 86 games with 337 plate appearances and hit .227 with 66 hits, 15 doubles, ten home runs, 44 RBI, 38 walks, 102 strikeouts, and a .693 OPS.
Pages is ranked No. 15 in the Cardinals organization, according to MLBpipeline.com, for the 2024 season.
During Pages’ five seasons in the minors, he has played in 336 games, with a lifetime average of .256 and 1,404 plate appearances. He has smacked 308 hits, 68 doubles, four triples, 38 home runs, 178 RBI, 161 walks, 321 strikeouts, and a .763 OPS.
Dominican Republic IF Jose Rodriguez Designated For Assignment By Chicago White Sox On April 4
Francys Romero of beisbolfr.com reported on April 4 that White Sox infielder Jose Rodriguez was designated for assignment and will go through waivers.
Rodriguez was ranked No. 17 in the White Sox organization in 2024 by MLBpipeline.com. Rodriguez’s contract for 2024 is pre-arbitration eligible.
Rodriguez, 22, was born in Valverde, Dominican Republic, and signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on February 13, 2018.
During spring training, Rodriguez batted .200 while playing in five games with six plate appearances, recording one hit, one RBI, two stolen bases, and one walk before being assigned to Double-A Birmingham.
Last season, Rodriguez played in 106 games between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte and batted .262 with 493 plate appearances. He had 123 hits, 19 doubles, 21 home runs, 62 RBI, 31 stolen bases, 20 walks, 108 strikeouts, and a .729 OPS.
Rodriguez was called up to the South Side on June 19, 2023, and was used as a pinch runner in one home game against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.
In the 2022-23 LIDOM season with the Aguilas Cibaenas, Rodriguez played in eight games with 18 plate appearances and batted .111 with two hits, two stolen bases, and two strikeouts.
During the 2022 season, Rodriguez played in 104 games with Double-A Birmingham, batted .280 in 483 plate appearances, smacking 123 hits, 21 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 68 RBI, 40 stolen bases, 38 walks, 66 strikeouts, and a .770 OPS.
Rodriguez has played 427 games in five seasons in the minor leagues with the White Sox organization. He has a lifetime average of .283 in 1,916 plate appearances, 508 hits, 87 doubles, 17 triples, 57 home runs, 235 RBI, 124 stolen bases, 102 walks, 320 strikeouts, and a .769 OPS.
Rodriguez could explore his options to play in the independent leagues in the United States or professional leagues around the globe if 29 MLB organizations do not see a fit for him on their 40-man rosters.