Cardinals Announce Return to Play Saturday vs. White Sox After 16-Day Layoff

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally going to play a baseball game. 

On Thursday, the Cardinals announced they will take the field Saturday for a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. It will be the team's first game since July 29 following a number of postponements because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

Derrick S. Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted the Cardinals will make up some of the games they lost by playing three doubleheaders in the Windy City in the coming week, with the latter two coming against the Chicago Cubs on Monday and Wednesday.

St. Louis saw series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tigers again postponed.

As a result, it has played a mere five games. By comparison, the National League Central rival Cincinnati Reds have played 19. That creates a scenario in which the Cardinals will be playing plenty of doubleheaders for the rest of the season to fit their games in, as the league is trying to fit 60 games in for each team.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the league and players union are working together to finalize the Cardinals' schedule.

The players are pushing for more doubleheaders to keep additional off-days, while the league is eyeing the day after the season as a possible date for another doubleheader. Doubleheaders will feature seven-inning games this year.

There is something of a silver lining for Cardinals fans, as Goold reported top prospect Dylan Carlson will join the team.

Goold also noted MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred previously suggested the Cardinals look toward their satellite camp in Springfield, Missouri, for players who have been participating in baseball activities and not "shut down" while the team dealt with a number of positive tests.

Carlson has been part of that group. 

MLB.com ranked the outfielder as the Cardinals' top prospect for the 2020 campaign.