Kolten Wong just became the highest-paid player in the Pacific Coast League.

The 25 million-dollar man can’t hit this season (.222 batting average, .306 on-base percentage) and was optioned to AAA Memphis Monday afternoon after shortstop-turned-third-baseman Jhonny Peralta returned from the disabled list.

Nobody could have envisioned Wong — who is playing in his fourth Major League season — being sent down to the minors this year.

But neither the Cardinals nor Wong could have seen rookie shortstop Aledmys Diaz’s rise to stardom so soon.

Diaz is hitting .328 with a .359 on-base percentage and eight home runs, and has become too vital to the Cardinals — both this season and in the future — to not play every day.

Third baseman Matt Carpenter played most of 2013 at second base and is the most logical replacement for Wong as Peralta moves over to third.

Carpenter, who is capable of playing every infield position not named shortstop, was also mentioned as a first baseman candidate.

But then Matt Adams got off to the best offensive start of his career, making Wong’s demotion to the bench all but official.

It was refreshing to see the Cardinals not take Wong’s contract into account when deciding what to do with his spot on the roster.

Baseball is a weird sport, and veterans with fat contracts could see a demotion to the minor leagues as a slap in the face.

Wong should realize his offense has been a slap in the face to the guys signing his paycheck, and welcome a few weeks out of the spotlight to work things out.

When the Cardinals signed Wong to his five-year, $25 million contract this spring, he was coming off a .262 season last year, but had made improvements at the plate the first three years with the Cardinals.

It was a stereotypical contract for the Cardinals, who have gotten good at locking up young talent to long-term deals that would eventually land in the team’s favor.

Carpenter, for instance, was given a six-year, $52 million deal in 2014 after leading the National League in hits the year before.

The Cardinals clearly thought Wong’s offensive numbers would continue to climb as they had his first three years.

If that happened, the club would have half of its infield locked up for half a decade under team-friendly contracts.

But as Wong’s bat has become as inconsistent as his glove, he has become a four-year Major League player without an identity or position, and the Cardinals look like they might have jumped the gun by locking him up for five seasons.

At this point, Memphis was the only option for Wong. 

He makes too much money to be a viable trade candidate.

He has shown the potential to be an everyday second baseman, and made for an atypical demotion to the minor leagues, even if it’s just for a few weeks.

But that is probably what he needs the most.

Because at some point, a slump isn’t a slump.

It’s who you are.