Francisco Pena, St. Louis Cardinals

Being a backup to nine-time All-Star Yadier Molina, who plays nearly every day, is a thankless job. Pena made only two starts in the entire month of April. But when Molina suffered a pelvic injury May 5 that required emergency surgery, sidelining him for a month, Pena got an opportunity for regular playing time.

Pena didn’t set the world on fire with his bat. During Molina’s absence, Pena batted .238 with a .644 OPS and contributed a pair of homers. Still, he fared better as a starter than he has as a backup. Since Molina returned in early June, relegating Pena to bench duty again, Pena is 3-for-28 (.107) with 12 strikeouts.

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