Cardinals make big pitching roster shakeup ahead of Mariners clash

The St. Louis Cardinals got some much-needed positive news with the impending return of veteran starter Lance Lynn. Lynn had been on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right knee. The ailment has sidelined him for more than a month, but Lynn will play Wednesday. As the rotation begins to take shape, the Cardinals have turned their attention to the bullpen.

St. Louis will recall reliever Chris Roycroft to the big league club, according to the team’s official report on X. In a similar move, the Cardinals will send pitcher Kyle Leahy to the minor leagues.

To say Roycroft has pitched this season is an understatement. This will be the fifth time St. Louis has called up the 27-year-old right-hander to the majors in 2024. He spent parts of May, June and July with the Cardinals but was unable to stay with the team. In 24 appearances for St. Louis this season, he has a 4.15 ERA, a 1.352 WHIP and 27 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

The 6’8″ pitcher was recently optioned to the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in late July and spent all of August in Memphis. However, Roycroft seems to have found something in his latest minor league adventure. In 13 Triple-A appearances in August, he has a 2.93 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work.

Chris Roycroft rejoins Cardinals

Roycroft’s path to becoming a major league pitcher was unusual. He began his career playing ball in the independent Frontier League for the Joliet Slammers. After a season and a half with the Slammers, the Cardinals signed him to a minor league deal in 2022. The following season, he rose through three levels of the minor leagues, reaching Triple-A, where he appeared in 22 games.

Leahy has also had an up-and-down season, often called upon to work out of the Cardinals bullpen. He has a 4.02 ERA, 1.021 WHIP, 6.1 K/9 and ERA+ of 106 in 31 appearances in 2024. The 27-year-old rookie has been working his way through the Cardinals farm system since 2018. He has bounced between Memphis and St. Louis this season but has been with the big league club since July 29.

After a rough outing in the first game of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, the Cardinals made the decision to option Leahy and recall Roycroft for Saturday’s game. Leahy allowed four hits and three runs scored in 1.1 innings of work in his last appearance.

It’s been a tough season for St. Louis. The team recorded its lowest attendance at Busch Stadium last month, and the Cardinals’ playoff hopes are fading fast.

The team is 10 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central entering play Saturday. St. Louis is six games out of a playoff spot in the NL Wild Card race. The Cardinals fell to 17th in the latest MLB Power Rankings.