Peralta, who was significantly affected by a spring training thumb injury last season, is healthy and ready to compete for the third base job this spring, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. "I never felt 100 percent," Peralta said Sunday. "To tell the truth, last year was kind of tough with everything that happened. Going to third base so quickly, that was tough. The swing, sometimes it would not feel right. But I learned from last year. I feel different now."

EDGE Analysis

The veteran, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2017, feels as if he's in a much better position than he was at any time last season. Peralta's thumb, which required surgery that sidelined him until June, never fully healed until the offseason, when a prolonged stretch of rest finally did the trick. Meanwhile, he had a whole new set of challenges in the field, where he was being asked to play third base for the first time since the 2010 campaign with the Indians. With Adelmys Diaz now the full-time shortstop, Peralta had the luxury of going into the offseason knowing that he could take all of his practice reps at third base, a position which he's expected to compete with Jedd Gyorko for this spring. The Cardinals feel that the hot corner is a better fit at this stage for the soon-to-be 35-year-old, considering it requires less overall range, and also feel that Peralta's bat still has plenty to offer. After a ragged start that included a .233 average over his first 103 at-bats, Peralta bounced back after the All-Star break to slash .274/.325/.403 over his final 186 trips to the plate.