Cardinals call up No. 1 prospect Piscotty

CHICAGO -- Less than two weeks after first playing Stephen Piscotty at a new position, the Cardinals promoted their top prospect to the Majors before the start of Tuesday's series against the White Sox.

Piscotty, 24, was added to the 25- and 40-man rosters, both of which were full. To make room, the Cardinals optioned outfielder Tommy Pham to Memphis and designated Memphis infielder Ty Kelly for assignment.

The Cardinals will be able to utilize a designated hitter during their two-game Interleague series in Chicago, but Piscotty's arrival is not solely for that purpose. With production at first base lacking, the Cards are likely to give Piscotty plenty of playing time at a position he just began playing this month.

After weeks of pregame work at first base, Piscotty played there in a game for the first time on July 10. He's been at first base in another five games since. Piscotty, though drafted as a third baseman, played exclusively in the outfield in 2013-14. He is more than capable of filling in at either corner outfield spot for the Cardinals, though there is not expected to be substantial playing time available there.

Piscotty has hit safely in 35 of his past 45 games (54-for-176) and ranks fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 28 doubles. Piscotty has 11 homers and 41 RBIs along with a .272/.366/.475 slash line this season.

The Cards have shuffled through various first basemen since Matt Adams suffered a severe quad injury in late May. Mark Reynolds has made the majority of starts, with Xavier Scruggs and Dan Johnson also occasionally filling in. Overall, though, the production has been insufficient.

In comparing the Cardinals' production to other National League teams, the club ranks among the league's bottom three in runs scored (30), batting average (.233), on-base percentage (.289), OPS (.657), doubles (16) and home runs (10).

Piscotty advances to the Majors a little more than three years after being taken by the Cards with the 36th overall pick in the 2012 Draft. Piscotty, a Stanford University graduate, is currently ranked MLB's No. 71 prospect by MLB Pipeline.