Seeking spot with Braves, Greene praises Cards

JUPITER, Fla. -- Thursday marked a homecoming for non-roster invitee Tyler Greene.

A first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2005, Greene made his Major League debut with the ballclub in '09 and played parts of four seasons with the organization. His family also lives in Jupiter over the offseason.

The 30-year-old infielder developed in the Minors with a few guys in the St. Louis lineup, including left fielder Jon Jay and starter Lance Lynn.

"I was able to learn a lot over there," Greene said. "They really know how to teach the fundamentals of the game and how to play the game the right way. The Cardinal Way they ingrain in us coming up. When you do get that opportunity to get on the big league team, you know what's expected of you and to execute all the fundamentals of the game."

St. Louis traded him to the Astros in 2012 after Greene went back and forth between Triple-A Memphis and the Majors. Greene was released the following March and signed with the White Sox.

Four days after his release from Chicago last August, Greene signed a Minor League deal with the Braves and was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. In 13 games, he hit .333 with four doubles, one home run and four RBIs.

Atlanta invited him to Spring Training in January. He is 4-for-23 (.174) with two walks and two steals in 13 games.

"Just coming to compete for a spot," Greene said. "Going to do everything I can on the field and just wait and see what happens and how it plays out. Excited to be part of this organization. A lot of good things happening here. They were able to get into the playoffs last year, so this is a contending team, a team with the goal to be here at the end of the season."