ST. LOUIS -- What has been an up-and-down season for Cardinals reliever Jason Motte trended down Friday when he was placed on the disabled list with a lower back sprain.
The move is retroactive to Aug. 1, the last day he appeared in a game, the club announced. Motte, 32, missed all of the 2013 season and the first six weeks of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He has a 4.91 ERA in 24 appearances as he has struggled to regain the form that made him the Cardinals' closer in 2011 and 2012.
Left-hander Nick Greenwood was recalled from Class AAA Memphis and was expected to meet the team in Baltimore. He worked in nine games in an earlier call-up, going 1-1 with a 4.74 ERA in 19 innings covering nine appearances. He can fill a long-relief role the club has lacked since Carlos Martinez was sent to the minors last week.
