ST. LOUIS -- A scout at Busch Stadium said the other day that Shane Robinson's bat speed is down so much he looks like he's swinging underwater.
The scout apparently wasn't the only one to notice. The Cardinals sent Robinson back to Class AAA Memphis on Friday and recalled outfielder Randal Grichuk, the team announced Friday afternoon. Robinson went 3 for 13 since being called back up last week, with all of the hits coming in one of the two games he started.
The move means the Cardinals likely will insert Grichuk into the lineup when they play three series at AL parks beginning Wednesday. Grichuk could fill the designated hitter's role or play in the outfield and allow Matt Holliday or Allen Craig to DH.
Grichuk, who went 3 for 21 in an earlier promotion, hit his team-leading 10th home run for the Redbirds on Thursday night. He was hitting .315 with 32 RBI at Memphis and has been especially productive against left-handers, with a .451 batting average and .941 slugging percentage.
The Cardinals face a lefty Friday night, Madison Bumgarner, and are likely to see left-handers Jason Vargas and Danny Duffy in next week's home-and-home series against the Royals.
You can follow Stan McNeal on Twitter at @stanmcneal or email him at stanmcneal@gmail.com.
