LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. • When the Cardinals selected him in the Rule 5 draft this past December, Matt Bowman purposefully avoided perusing the roster, preferring to go in blind to the possible roles he might fill.
The calendar is harder to ignore.
Almost halfway into the Cardinals’ exhibition schedule, Bowman made only his third appearance of spring Wednesday. The righthander had his first appearance delayed when he missed five days because a baseball bruised his left eye during a fielding drill. With fewer games and starters pitching more innings, Bowman’s opportunity to audition is limited.
“I’m aware these outings are important,” Bowman said.