Cardinals add three to 40-man roster

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have purchased the contracts of outfielders Oscar Taveras and Mike O'Neill, along with infielder Greg Garcia, and added the trio to the team's 40-man Major League roster.

Taveras spent all of last season at Triple-A Memphis where he hit .306 in an injury-shortened campaign, playing in just 46 games. Taveras injured his right ankle in a late May game and battled with the injury the remainder of the season. O'Neill hit .320 in 98 games at Springfield (AA) before closing out the year hitting .295 for Memphis, while stealing a combined 19 bases. Garcia played at second base, third base and at shortstop during his season at Memphis. The versatile infielder laced 23 doubles, had four triples and stole 14 bases while hitting .271 in 116 games.

In addition, the team requested outright waivers on two players, assigning them to the Memphis roster: lefthanded pitcher John Gast and outfielder Jermaine Curtis. Both players made their Major League debuts last season with St. Louis. Gast went 2-0 in three starts for the Cardinals before going on the disabled list with a left shoulder strain that ultimately resulted in surgery. Curtis appeared in five games in two separate stints with the club in late April and again in August.

The Cardinals currently have 36 players on their 40-man roster.