WASHINGTON -- Luke Weaver, who missed time in Spring Training due to back spasms, has been placed on the Triple-A disabled list due to lower back stiffness, which cropped up as he was running the bases in his start for Memphis last Thursday.
General manager John Mozeliak said that Weaver, ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the team's No. 3 prospect, is undergoing treatment and evaluation to determine how long he might be sidelined.
Weaver drew the opening night start for Memphis, but lasted only two innings (27 pitches). While the Cardinals don't have a need for Weaver now, this setback does further thin the organization's pitching depth. Two other starters with Major League experience -- Tyler Lyons (knee surgery) and Marco Gonzales (elbow surgery) -- are also on the DL.
Lyons will be making his second Minor League rehab start for Memphis on Wednesday. Daniel Poncedeleon, who was to be a part of the Double-A rotation, will take Weaver's spot and start for Memphis on Tuesday.
Worth noting
• Stephen Piscotty returned to the Cardinals' lineup on Monday after sitting two games due to left knee soreness. Piscotty, who injured his knee on a slide in Friday's loss, was wearing a brace around the knee prior to Monday's game.
• Triple-A outfielder Tommy Pham has tallied three homers in Memphis' last two games. Overall, Pham is 8-for-20 to begin the season. Pham entered Spring Training as a frontrunner to win a job on the Cardinals' bench, but was bypassed by Jose Martinez, who had superior Grapefruit League results.
• Former Cardinals pitcher/outfielder Rick Ankiel will be signing his new book in the Cardinals Museum on April 18. Tickets to the event, which will run from 4-6 p.m. CT, are $30 and include a copy of the book -- 'The Phenomenon: Pressure, the Yips and the Pitch that Changed My Life' -- as well as admission to the museum. Those tickets are available for purchase at cardinals.com/museum.