Cardinals outfielder Ryan Vilade throws during ground-ball drills on Saturday Feb. 15, 2025, as spring training continues at the team’s practice facility in Jupiter, Fla.
Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch
ARLINGTON, Texas — Growing up in Frisco, Texas as the son of a former Rangers minor league coach, Ryan Vilade said he grew up attending Rangers games at their previous ballpark but had yet to see the new one that opened in 2020.
So when the 26-year-old joined the Cardinals on Sunday, his arrival to the club following a promotion from Class AAA Memphis on Saturday marked his first time joining the Cardinals this year and provided a special moment given his ties to the area.
“It was super-cool, especially to come back to Texas and play in front of all the friends and family,” Vilade said on Sunday morning. “I grew up here. … It’s cool to be the hometown kid. I’m excited to be here.”
Vilade had his contract selected by the Cardinals on Saturday when right fielder Jordan Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation. Once a bat boy for Frisco RoughRiders when his father was a coach for the minor league affiliate, Vilade was not able to arrive in time for Saturday’s day game. He said he arrived later that night after traveling from Durham, North Carolina, where Memphis had been playing a road series.
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Vilade’s inclusion on the Cardinals active roster gives them a right-handed bat with experience in the corner outfield spots experience as well at first base, second base and third base.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Vilade could be used in opportunities against left-handed pitchers.
“(He) takes a good at-bat, and then the versatility in being able take an at-bat and kind of put him at different spots.”
His first opportunity to do so came in the seventh inning of the Cardinals’ 8-1 loss to the Rangers.
When Rangers manager Bruce Bochy summoned left-hander Hoby Milner from his bullpen with left-hander Victor Scott II due up, Marmol countered with Vilade. In a pinch-hit spot for Scott with a runner on first base and two outs, Vilade grounded out to second base on a ball he hit with a 100.5 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.
“I thought his approach was good. Nice swing. Just right at him,” Marmol said of Vilade’s first at-bat as a Cardinal.
The Cardinals got a sense of what Vilade offers while he was in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this past spring training. Vilade batted .229 with a .668 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) while appearing in 18 Grapefruit League games. He spent time at second base, left field and right field before being reassigned to minors camp near the middle of March.
Vilade opened the minor league season as Memphis’ starting right fielder. He appeared in 48 games for the Redbirds and posted a .280/.375/.476 slash line in 192 plate appearances.
“I thought I had a good camp and put together good at-bats. Continued to work at every position and just put my head down and keep working. That’s all you can do,” Vilade said of his takeaways from big league spring training.
After spending a year in the Tigers system, Vilade inked a minor league contract with the Cardinals near the end of November. He said he felt like joining the Cardinals was “the right spot for me at the right time” based on “where they’re headed as a team.”
His return to the majors on Sunday marked his first big league game since he appeared in game for Detroit last August. A former second-round pick (48th overall) by the Rockies in the 2017 MLB draft, Vilade has appeared in the majors for three different teams. He’s produced a .154 batting average and homered once in 21 games.
Back in the majors on Sunday, Vilade said his previous experience provides a foundation as he fill a role off the Cardinals bench.
“I think the only difference is you just don’t start,” Vilade said of the differences in starting and filling a bench role. “You’ve got to stay ready. You never know what’s going to happen in this game. They can pinch hit in the third. Something could happen. But just being ready to help the team win a ballgame at the end of the day is the biggest goal.”
Extra bases
With his club heading into a stretch where they have two scheduled off days across June, Marmol said he expects the Cardinals to stay on schedule with his rotation through their upcoming series against the Royals at Busch Stadium and then “make adjustments as needed.” The Cardinals have Andre Pallante (Tuesday), Miles Mikolas (Wednesday) and Matthew Liberatore (Thursday) listed as their probable starters for a three-game series against the Royals.
Top pitching prospect Quinn Mathews allowed two runs, two hits and walked three batters while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings on Saturday in his return start for Class AAA Memphis. The start was Mathews’ first in Class AAA since April 11. Mathews, 24, had been sidelined by a left shoulder injury.The No. 4 patches on the Cardinals’ and Rangers’ jerseys on Sunday were in part of Major League Baseball’s Lou Gehrig Day recognition, which will extend into Monday.
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