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As the Cardinals continue their search for the right combination of outfielders, it's becoming impossible to ignore that a pretty good one was sent away.

Harrison Bader is in Memphis. Tyler O'Neill is on the injured list for the fourth time in 13 months. Infielders Tommy Edman and Yairo Munoz are spending time in the outfield. Randy Arozarena, the Cardinals' minor league player of the month who is now slashing .381/.452/.580 through nearly 50 games at Class AAA, is not in the majors because the Cardinals say they can't guarantee him playing time.

The context makes it harder to catch up on the news out of Cleveland.

Former Cardinal Oscar Mercado is popping up in discussions about who should be named American League rookie of the year.

Since the converted shortstop was traded by the Cardinals to Cleveland for outfielders Conner Capel and Jhon Torres at the 2018 trade deadline, the 24-year-old Mercado has averaged .288 with a .337 on-base percentage and a .469 slugging percentage in 66 MLB games (260 at-bats). He's climbed to No. 2 in Cleveland manager Terry Francona's lineup. Marcell Ozuna (.841) is the only current Cardinals outfielder with more than 15 MLB at-bats this season who can match Mercado's on-base plus slugging percentage of .806.