The roster move was necessitated by an injury to Brendan Ryan in St. Louis after the infielder strained his hamstring on Wednesday night. That started a ripple effect through the Cardinals minor league system, as a trio of former Quad Cities stars earned promotions. Tyler Greene was called up from Triple-A Memphis to the majors - where he picked up his first big league hit and RBI on Thursday night - Donovan Solano was promoted from Double-A Springfield to Memphis, and Pete Kozma made the jump from Palm Beach to Springfield. That opened the door for Bolivar to advance to Palm Beach just 11 days before his 20th birthday. The Venezuelan infielder leaves the Quad Cities having hit safely in seven of his last nine games, batting .343 with four multi hit games during the hot streak. Through 16 games this season, Bolivar is hitting .224 with two home runs and six RBI. Replacing Bolivar on the River Bandits roster is 22-year-old infielder Guillermo Toribio. A native of Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Toribio spent the 2008 season in the Appalachian League where he hit .212 in 42 games for the Johnson City Cardinals. In 2007 he batted .257 in the Gulf Coast League, but was third in the league with 34 walks and fourth with a .389 on-base percentage. The Quad Cities River Bandits roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. UP NEXT: The homestand concludes on Friday with a Baseball Air Freshener Giveaway courtesy of Midas and a post-game fireworks extravaganza on a Fireworks Friday! The River Bandits will then hit the road for six games against the Clinton LumberKings and Great Lakes Loons before returning to Modern Woodmen Park for another Fireworks Friday on May 8. ABOUT THE BANDITS: Under new ownership and management in 2008, the Quad Cities River Bandits topped 207,000 fans for only the sixth time in team history and the first time in 12 years. Having recently completed one of the most successful seasons in the history of the franchise - and with a renewed dedication to fans, sponsors and the Quad Cities community - the return of the River Bandits has brought a resurgence of support for the team. BanditWear, season tickets and mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast! This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
