ST. LOUIS -- An ankle sprain that first baseman/outfielder Brandon Moss downplayed after Monday's 4-2 loss turned out to be severe enough to require a move to the disabled list.
The Cardinals made that move official prior to Tuesday's game and recalled outfielder Randal Grichuk to fill the vacant spot on the Major League roster. Grichuk had been with Triple-A Memphis since his demotion on June 18. During his time in Memphis, Grichuk went 15-for-53 with three doubles, five homers and 15 RBIs in 15 games. He struck out 13 times and walked once.
Speaking about Grichuk on Monday, general manager John Mozeliak said the club was hesitant to recall him until regular playing time was available. Circumstances changed over the following 24 hours to allow for that. Grichuk becomes the fifth outfielder on the Cardinals' roster, joining Matt Holliday, Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty and Kolten Wong.
"He was swinging a good bat down there and he'll get an opportunity," Mozeliak said. "If the injury doesn't happen, we probably allow him to work on his trade down there. That was the whole idea. The most important thing was he was getting to play every day. [He was] allowing himself to work through some things, and he was doing so and was having positive results in the sense that he was able to hit for power, was driving the ball to all fields. He made the most of his time there."
The Cardinals expect Grichuk to arrive at Busch Stadium midgame on Tuesday.
Moss, who has a team-leading 17 homers and is slugging .705 since June 1, will be eligible to return on July 20. He sprained his ankle sprain beating out a ground ball on Monday and finished the game. When Moss woke up on Tuesday, the soreness and discomfort had worsened.
A foot specialist diagnosed Moss with a Grade 1 strain.
"I think the likelihood of him being back for the All-Star break was very questionable," Mozeliak said. "Certainly, we didn't want to play short the rest of the way. So when you see him tonight, he'll probably be in a boot. We're just going to have to be patient."
Worth noting
• Former first-round Draft pick Luke Weaver was named the Texas League Player of the Month after going 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA for Double-A Springfield in June. He is the first Springfield player to earn a Texas League monthly award since June 2015.
• Memphis left-hander Ryan Sherriff has been added to the Pacific Coast League roster for next week's Triple-A All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C. Sherriff takes the place of Sam Tuivailala, who was selected for the PCL team before being recalled by St. Louis. Sherriff, a 28th-round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft, is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in 42 1/3 relief innings.
• Center fielder Tommy Pham, who sat on Monday due to shoulder soreness, returned to the lineup on Tuesday.