Late Tuesday night, after the Cardinals completed a 5-3 victory against the Chicago Cubs in freezing temperatures, O’Neill was in Omaha, Neb., called for a quick meeting with Class AAA manager Stubby Clapp, and told to pack and go back to the airport for a dawn flight. The majors beckoned.
The game was rescheduled for Thursday at 1:20 p.m., and the Cardinals plan to activate O’Neill before first pitch, a team official confirmed. The postponement — the third in four days for the Cubs — bought the Cardinals another 23 hours to determine their 25-man roster move for O’Neill.