After it was widely assumed that the St. Louis Cardinals would head to Memphis carrying 26 players, the management decided to finalize the Opening Day roster by relegating Joe Mather to Triple-A Memphis.  Mather, who had been relatively inconsistent with his swing through the Jupiter campaign, finished the Grapefruit League with a lowly .227 batting average.

With David Freese looking like the clear favorite to grab the third baseman job in the absence of stud Troy Glaus, Mather's swing issues hurt him down the stretch with regards to grabbing the final roster spot.

Although Thursday wasn't the best day in Mather's world, the Cardinals finished out the spring strong with a 6-3 come-from-behind victory over the co-host Florida Marlins to end their spring with a 17-14-1 record.

Mather, who could very well be brought up to join the Cardinals before the season is over, was also productive last season when called upon.

Manager Tony LaRussa and general manager John Mozeliak stressed the definite possibility of Mather joining the majors before season's end.