Bryan Torres

The third hit was a bunt that was popped up but wound up as a single anyway. Torres started in left field tonight after being held out of the lineup the previous three games. It seemed like he might be the favorite to start at second base against righties with Masyn Winn out and JJ Wetherholt sliding to short, for José Fermin has gotten the nod there the last two days. Torres is batting .268 with a .340 OBP this month. However, he hasn’t had an extra-base hit since doubling July 27 against the Cubs.

Torres opened the scoring in the ballgame as he plated Lars Nootbaar with an RBI single off of Javier Assad in the second inning. That would be their only lead in the contest. With his two-hit attack, the 29-year-old outfielder is now slashing .244/.295/.451 with four homers and 13 RBI in his first 89 plate appearances with the big league club.

Torres gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead with his third homer of the season, and while that was the last scoring play for St. Louis, it was enough with Kyle Leahy and the St. Louis bullpen holding the Marlins to just one run in the contest. The 28-year-old outfielder has done a decent-enough job since being promoted with a .234/.304/.468 slash over 48 at-bats.

Torres made quite a statement in his big-league debut following 11 seasons in the minors between three different organizations. The 28-year-old journeyman collected his first career hit with a single to right field against Reds starter Chris Paddack in the third inning before taking reliever Jose Franco deep in the ninth inning for his first home run.

Torres gets a look in left field for his major-league debut after being called up from Triple-A Memphis prior to Friday’s rainout with Nathan Church (shoulder) hitting the shelf. The 28-year-old offers some defensive versatility in a bench role after .336/.454/.477 with two homers and 10 steals across 36 games in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League this season.

Torres has been playing second base and the outfield for Triple-A Memphis this season. Nathan Church was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain as a corresponding move. Church had been a regular in the outfield for St. Louis, so there’s playing time available. José Fermín drew the start in left field on Thursday, a game Church missed.

The Cardinals are in need of an extra outfielder with Nathan Church expected to land on the injured list with an undisclosed issue. It’s the first trip to the big leagues for the 28-year-old outfielder. Torres has hit .336/.454/.477 with a pair of homers and 16 RBI in 166 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season.

The move prevents Torres from becoming a minor league free agent and protects him from being gobbled up in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 28-year-old has spent time at both the keystone and outfield in recent years. He batted 328/.441/.464 with nine homers and 26 steals in 104 games for Triple-A Memphis this past season.