Cardinals right-hander Richard Fitts has undergone season-ending surgery to address the lat strain that recently landed him on the minor league injured list. President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom gave the news to Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
It’s an unfortunate development for Fitts for a few reasons. Fitts made 15 big league appearances with the Red Sox over the previous two seasons. He was traded to the Cardinals as part of the Sonny Gray trade. Going from a contender to a rebuilding club isn’t necessarily great news, depending on one’s perspective, but it gave Fitts a decent path to carve out some big league playing time this year. Now that won’t happen.
It’s also unfortunate because Fitts was in the minors when he got injured. He had a chance to earn a rotation spot at the start of the season but was optioned in mid-March. The Cards instead went with a rotation of Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Dustin May, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante. Fitts made three Triple-A starts before suffering his injury.
Since he was injured in the minors, he isn’t currently collecting big league pay or service time. The Cardinals could recall him and put him on the 60-day injured list at some point. That would allow them to open up a 40-man spot, but they would have to be willing to give Fitts major league pay and restart his service clock. He came into 2026 with 164 days of service time, just eight days below the one-year mark.
For the Cardinals, they will have a bit less rotation depth going forward. As mentioned, they are rebuilding, so that’s not as concerning as it would be for some other clubs. Still, part of the appeal of a rebuilding year is giving unproven guys a chance to flourish. Fitts was one of a handful of potential rotation building blocks but the Cards are losing out on the chance to throw him out there against major league hitters.
Their season-opening quintet are still healthy, so the Cards can ride with those guys for now. Hunter Dobbins is on the injured list but has begun a rehab assignment and is essentially ready to go when needed. Like Fitts, Tekoah Roby and Cooper Hjerpe are on the 40-man roster but injured in the minors. Both underwent Tommy John surgery last year, Roby in July and Hjerpe in April. Brycen Mautz is on the 40-man and making Triple-A starts. Tink Hence is also on the 40-man and in Triple-A but he’s been pitching in relief so far this year. Prospect Quinn Mathews is making Triple-A starts but doesn’t have a roster spot yet. Bruce Zimmermann is a non-roster starter with some big league experience who is currently in Triple-A as well.
Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images
Not sure if his parents have the best sense of humor ever, the worst, or are the most sheltered people ever who didn’t think that name all the way through. Either way, get well soon, Dick.
Genuinely it has to be a family name or something lol
They gave him one of the greatest nickname
Combos to ever exist
“Sup ladies I’m Dick Fitts” probably killed it in high school and college
Well poo
His name is Dick Fitts
If the surgery Fitts
Then he must sits
Richard is Fitts to be tied.
Bummer of a break for him. He was going to get a shot on the Cardinals more so than on the Red Sox.
Every time I see an article on Richard I come for the jokes. Hope he heals well and becomes a Hall of Fame player so we can see that name in print even more. His most common pickup line?
DF-“Only one way to find out…”
Lady-“Find out what?”
DF-“If it fits.”
Lady-“Oh God where is this going?”
DF-“Hi my name is Dick Fitts, can we just start this over you kind of messed my whole approach up.”
Lady-“Only one way to find out.”
DF-“Hey now that’s my line.”
This dude has a very punable name if he ever went by the name short for Richard
On a serious note. I hate that another pitcher is lost for his team’s season.
Bad news for Fitts.
Was going to get his shot this year – but now, by the time he’s healthy again he could easily have dropped 2 or 3 places down the depth chart, the Cards have so much pitching coming up the system in the next couple years
Dick Fitts on the IL