St. Louis ? Second baseman Bo Hart was sent back to the minors by the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, having gone from rookie sensation last year to reserve player this season.

Hart was sent to Triple-A Memphis and right-hander Josh Pearce was recalled to add depth to the bullpen.

Friday night’s game against the Cubs was the fourth straight in a stretch of 13 without an off day. So manager Tony La Russa opted for 12 pitchers and one fewer bench player.

“It’s nice to have that extra player, but we’ll go back to square one,” La Russa said. “I’ll bet he’s as disappointed this time as the last time but there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Hart, 26, was recalled April 11 after being the final cut in spring training. He got a shot last year because of injuries to Fernando Vina and Miguel Cairo, beginning his career with seven hits in 10 at-bats. Overall, he hit .277 in 77 games with four home runs and 28 RBIs.

Hart was batting .154, going 2-for-13 with a pair of singles and two RBIs in 13 games.