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Cardinals GM expects Oscar Taveras to compete for right-field job in spring training

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak isn't prepared to name Oscar Taveras his club's Opening Day right fielder just yet, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Taveras' performance and conditioning raised some eyebrows this season, his first in the major leagues, and Mozeliak expects the 22-year-old to compete for the right-field job this spring with Randal Grichuk, a first-round pick in the 2009 draft.

"I anticipate him competing for our right field opening day starter," Mozeliak said. "When we get to Jupiter next year, we’re going to know what he did and we’ll know if we can count on him or not."

Mozeliak also expressed his desire to see Taveras improve his conditioning this offseason with a supervised workout regimen, as the rookie admitted earlier this month that he had gained weight since suffering a serious ankle injury in 2013.

Taveras, who signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 2008, hit just .239/.278/.312 (65 OPS+) with three home runs through 80 games this season.

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