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Cardinals Out On Carlos Gomez; Marlins Still Interested

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2:50pm: The Marlins are still interested in adding Gomez, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). It’s not entirely clear whether the Fish are willing to swing a trade for Gomez or are hoping to pounce if he is ultimately released.

1:33pm: While the Cardinals initially kicked the tires on Carlos Gomez after he was designated for assignment by the Astros, ESPN’s Mark Saxon now reports that there’s “nothing doing on the Carlos Gomez front” for St. Louis (Twitter link). The injury to Matt Holliday prompted the Cards to check in on Gomez, but Randal Grichuk is 7-for-21 since being recalled to fill Holliday’s roster spot and, somewhat incredibly, all seven of those knocks have gone for extra bases (two homers, four doubles, one triple).

The Cardinals and Mets, two teams that were originally reported to be in on Gomez following his DFA, have now both stepped out of the mix for him — ESPN’s Adam Rubin reported on Monday that the Mets aren’t interested in trading for him — leaving the Marlins as the team to which Gomez has been most strongly connected. It’s not clear yet how serious the Marlins’ interest in Gomez is, but they were said to be considering him as recently as Sunday.

At this point, it’s now been eight days since Gomez was designated for assignment, so the Astros’ window to find a trade partner is dwindling. That closing window makes a release of Gomez considerably more likely, after which any club would be free to sign him for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum through season’s end. While Gomez comes with plenty of red flags following a reported hip issue last summer, a rib cage injury sustained earlier this season and, of course, a dismal .221/.277/.342 batting line since being acquired by the Astros in July 2015, it’s rare to be able to roll the dice on a player of his upside for what would amount to about $120-125K for the final few weeks of the season. If a release is the ultimate outcome, I’d think even the teams that passed on trading for him could circle back as a potential depth option at the very least.

Matt Holliday, Seth Maness Headed For Surgery

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The Cardinals are sending two significant players in for surgical procedures, as ESPN.com’s Mark Saxon reports (Twitter links). Outfielder Matt Holliday needs to go under the knife to repair his recently fractured thumb, while reliever Seth Maness requires Tommy John surgery for his elbow injury.

Though neither result is particularly surprising at this point, they will nonetheless tell. Any hope of a quicker-than-usual return from Holliday now seems to be gone. And Maness will miss not only the remainder of the 2016 campaign, but likely all of next year as well. St. Louis has been hit hard by injuries of late, with a host of notable players camped out on the DL — as shown in the team’s updated depth chart.

The 36-year-old Holliday is under-performing his historical results. Last year’s big question — where did his power go? — has been answered with a .451 slugging percentage and 19 home runs. But Holliday is reaching base at a .315 clip that is well off his typical rate. That doesn’t mean he’ll be easy to replace, of course, but Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk, and Tommy Pham all represent viable right-handed-hitting outfield options. And there still appears to be some hope that Holliday can make it back late in the season, which would also make him available for a potential post-season run.

Dealing with the loss of Maness is, in some ways, even more interesting. He, too, has fallen shy of expectations — though he carries a 3.41 ERA, it has come with a diving K/BB rate and fastball velocity. But St. Louis is increasingly thin on reliable setup options. MLBTR’s ranking of the top August trade chips includes several solid right-handed relievers, led perhaps by David Robertson and also including Jeanmar Gomez. Though it’s certainly possible that St. Louis won’t look for quite so impactful an addition, there’s certainly an argument to be made that the team needs to supplement a late-inning mix that is currently headed by the surprisingly excellent Seung Hwan Oh and veteran Jonathan Broxton.

Both of these injuries also come with significant future implications. Holliday’s $17MM club option looks increasingly unlikely to be exercised, though it’s hard to guess at this point how the Cards will view the situation. His possible late-season return could play a role, though odds are the organization already has a fair idea of how it will proceed with a player who has been nothing shy of outstanding during his tenure in St. Louis.

Maness, too, could conceivably end up departing the organization early in the offseason. He’s playing on a $1.4MM deal as a Super Two this year, and will earn a raise for next year based upon his work thus far. St. Louis would need to commit to paying him for both 2017 and 2018 in hopes that he’d be back at full strength for the latter of those two campaigns. The team would still stand to control him for one more year beyond that, but it is still a rather large commitment given the injury and recent struggles.

Cardinals Place Seth Maness On DL With Elbow Strain

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The Cardinals announced on Tuesday that right-hander Seth Maness has been placed on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 14) due to a strain in his right elbow. Fellow righty Sam Tuivailala has been recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.

The loss of Maness is yet another blow to a Cardinals team that has seen displaced closer Trevor Rosenthal, right-hander Michael Wacha, left-hander Tyler Lyons, left fielder Matt Holliday, first baseman Matt Adams and shortstop Aledmys Diaz all land on the disabled list within the past three weeks. Beyond that group, the Cards have been without righties Lance Lynn and Jordan Walden all season. The injury to Maness is doubly concerning, as the 27-year-old has already missed roughly five weeks this season due to a separate injury in the same elbow.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]

When healthy, Maness has been an important part of manager Mike Matheny’s bullpen, logging a 3.41 ERA in 31 2/3 innings of work. However, his strikeout rate has also wilted in 2016 (4.5 K/9), as has his velocity (average fastball down from 89.5 mph to 87.9 mph), and he’s averaging nearly a half a walk more per nine innings pitched than he did in 2015 (2.27 BB/9 in 2016, 1.85 in 2015). Those trends wouldn’t be encouraging in any season but are especially concerning in a year that has included two elbow-related trips to the disabled list.

With Maness, Rosenthal and Lyons all on the disabled list, the Cardinals are suddenly lacking in proven right-handed options in the bullpen. Seung Hwan Oh has been a revelation in his rookie season, but Jonathan Broxton has struggled in the first season of a two-year deal. Beyond that, the Cards are leaning on journeyman Jerome Williams as a long reliever and rookies Matt Bowman and Alex Reyes as other right-handed options. Bowman, though, has begun to fade in the second half. And while Reyes is widely regarded as one of the five or 10 best prospects in all of baseball, he has just four Major League innings under his belt. And on top of all that, lefty Kevin Siegrist said yesterday that he’s been dealing with a “deadish feeling” in his arm. Tuivailala will hope to help patch things up, but he’s limped to a 5.44 ERA out of the Triple-A bullpen in spite of a gaudy 13.8 K/9 rate through 43 innings.

Certainly, it’s logical to expect the Cardinals, who are currently tied with the Marlins for the second NL Wild Card slot, to examine the August trade market for potential bullpen upgrades. Then again, their current place in the standings (one game ahead of the Pirates in the Wild Card race, two ahead of the Mets) allows a pair of teams, including a division rival, to place claims for the purpose of blocking St. Louis from obtaining help. Recently released Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon could potentially be had for nothing more than $130K through season’s end (the pro-rated portion of the league minimum), though that’s purely speculation on my behalf, as there’s been no indication that the Cardinals are in the mix for his services.

NL Central Notes: Papelbon, Siegrist, Finnegan

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If the Cubs do ultimately pursue Jonathan Papelbon following his release from the Nationals, as has been speculated upon, lefty Jon Lester would endorse the move, he tells ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. “He is crazy,” Lester joked, “but he’s no crazier than the rest of us. He just gets a bad rap for what happened in the dugout. Knowing Papelbon, I’ve always had good things to say about him as a teammate, how he respects the game and how he goes about his business. People are quick to jump to the conclusions based on one event. I think he’s a great teammate.” The event to which Lester is alluding, of course, is last year’s altercation with former teammate Bryce Harper, during which Papelbon placed his hands around Harper’s throat in a dugout argument. Rogers points out that Papelbon has been effective when afforded multiple days of rest between his appearances but has struggled otherwise — especially when pitching in consecutive games. Whether he’d be an upgrade at all for the Cubs is debatable, of course, but the loss of Pedro Strop and recent implosions by Carl Edwards and Hector Rondon have left Chicago’s setup corps appearing vulnerable.

More from the division…

  • Cardinals setup man Kevin Siegrist was pulled from last night’s game due to what he terms a “deadish feeling” in his left arm, writes MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. Manager Mike Matheny called the decision to lift his left-hander from the game precautionary, adding that he’s hopeful that the team’s three scheduled off-days over the next eight days will give Siegrist’s arm a chance to recover. Siegrist missed two weeks at the beginning of July due to mononucleosis and acknowledged after last night’s game that it’s been difficult to get his arm back into shape. As Langosch points out, he’s made 50 appearances this season after leading the Majors with 81 appearances last season (plus another three in the playoffs). The Cards picked up lefty Zach Duke prior to the non-waiver deadline, which gives Matheny a left-handed alternative, but Siegrist remains a vital component of the St. Louis relief corps.
  • The Reds have yet to firmly decide whether Brandon Finnegan’s long-term future is in the rotation or in the bullpen, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Manager Bryan Price told Buchanan over the weekend that the final seven or eight weeks of the season will be used to continue the club’s evaluation of Finnegan, who currently has a 4.45 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 38.3 percent ground-ball rate in 129 1/3 innings. ERA estimators such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA all cast a less-favorable picture, pegging Finnegan well north of the 5.00 mark. “Based on what we have in our system, what we begin the year with next year, will we win more games with him as a starter or a reliever?” Price asked rhetorically. “I can say from my perspective that hasn’t been answered.” Buchanan points out that Anthony DeSclafani and Homer Bailey are guaranteed rotation spots in 2017, and right-hander Dan Straily has likely earned a place in the starting five as well. The Reds will also have a plethora of young arms to consider, including Robert Stephenson, Amir Garrett, Rookie Davis, John Lamb and Cody Reed. Right-handers Raisel Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen, too, could re-enter that mix, though each is pitching well out of the ’pen right now and may remain there long-term.

NL Notes: Lackey, Cardinals, D-backs, Nats, Papelbon

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The Cardinals are trying to rebuild while contending, which is why they let right-hander John Lackey depart in free agency, writes Mark Saxon of ESPN.com. Their motivation in letting Lackey walk was receiving a compensatory pick in return, general manager John Mozeliak told Saxon. “The big thing for us is, with where we’ve picked over the last five or six years, it’s really hard to be aggressive on our pipeline. Any chance we could get to pick up a draft pick has been something we value. Perhaps you could argue we overvalue it, but that’s been the strategy of late.” As a result of losing Lackey, St. Louis got the 33rd pick – with which it drafted high school outfielder Dylan Carlson in June – while Lackey is now a member of the archrival Cubs after inking a two-year, $32MM deal during the offseason. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Lackey has carried his above-average production from St. Louis to Chicago, having logged a 3.56 ERA, 8.96 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 across 151 2/3 innings. Thanks in part to Lackey, the first-place Cubs are what should be an insurmountable 13 games ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central.

More on St. Louis and two other NL clubs:

  • Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss, an impending free agent, told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he’d like to re-sign with the Redbirds. “Honestly, I have thought more about wanting to stay here than I have thought about where I could end up,” Moss said. “I think most guys spend their entire careers trying to get to a place like this.” A hip injury helped lead to a subpar output last year for Moss, who joined the Cardinals in a July trade with Cleveland, but he has rebounded in 2016 to post a prolific .257/.339/.563 batting line through 304 plate appearances. Moss leads the Cardinals in home runs (20) and, among major league hitters with at least 300 PAs, trails only David Ortiz in ISO (.306). Mozeliak spoke highly of Moss last week, though the GM added that it wasn’t the right time to discuss an extension. Whether with St. Louis or another team, Moss looks primed to land a raise over his current salary of $8.25MM.
  • The Diamondbacks have removed left-hander Patrick Corbin from their rotation in favor of right-hander Zack Godley, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Corbin’s demotion to the bullpen comes on the heels of a Thursday start in which he surrendered eight runs (four earned) on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings of a 9-4 loss to Boston. With a 5.58 ERA through 132 1/3 innings, Corbin has unexpectedly produced poor results this year. The 2014 Tommy John surgery recipient combined to throw 293 1/3 frames of 3.47 ERA ball in 2013 and ’15, adding a 46.7 percent ground-ball rate and 7.85 K/9 against 2.18 BB/9. Although Corbin’s strikeouts (7.18) have remained in a similar range and his grounders (52.6) have increased, both his walk rate (3.88) and home run to fly ball rate (18.5 percent) have spiked. Godley, who has thrown 44 2/3 innings this year, hasn’t fared much differently than Corbin (5.24 ERA, 7.05 K/9, 2.62 BB/9, 53.5 grounder rate).
  • Jonathan Papelbon didn’t have the smoothest tenure with the Nationals, evidenced by his dugout dust-up with right fielder Bryce Harper last season, but key members of the organization defended the reliever after his release Saturday (via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). “It’s always going to be tough for somebody, but he couldn’t have handled it any better, and I truly mean that,” ace Max Scherzer said of how Papelbon dealt with losing the closer role to the recently acquired Mark Melancon. Continued Scherzer, “Unfortunately, some things went sideways and some other way, but when you talk about a veteran guy in this clubhouse and what he can do for us, he’s going to be missed.” Both president/GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dusty Baker echoed Scherzer’s sentiment. “I think he handled it like a professional, like he’s done everything else here,” offered Rizzo. “He was a great teammate. He was popular with his teammates. They knew that he had their back and they had his,” stated Baker.

Cardinals, Mets Interested In Carlos Gomez

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8:56pm: The Mets aren’t giving off indications that they have serious interest in Gomez, Marc Carig of Newsday tweets. Though GM Sandy Alderson has “left [the] door open,” says Carig, his comments “sounded like diplomacy” rather than the prelude to a move on the veteran outfielder.

12:40pm: ESPN’s Mark Saxon tweets that the Cardinals are indeed looking into Gomez, and his ability to play center field is a big draw for them. However, he notes that St. Louis could be outbid by the Mets. Saxon adds in a second tweet that Gomez is expected to be traded rather than waived and released. Shortly after Gomez’s DFA earlier this week, the Mets were said to be “open” to reacquiring him. Gomez came up through the Mets’ farm system and was lauded as one of the game’s top prospects before he was traded to the Twins as part of the Johan Santana package.

11:00am: The Cardinals will explore the possibility of adding recently designated center fielder Carlos Gomez, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). According to Goold, they’ll try to ascertain the reasons for his sudden decline and determine whether they believe he can rediscover his form and help the 2016 club. Adding onto that, Goold said in an appearance on the Ryan Kelley Morning Show on 105.7 FM / 920 AM in St. Louis that the Cards have “legitimate curiosity” in Gomez and were intrigued by him even before last night, when left fielder Matt Holliday suffered a fractured thumb that could cost him much of the remaining season.

Gomez was a big-name addition for the Astros last July, when Houston parted with four prospects to pry Gomez and right-hander Mike Fiers away from the Brewers. However, there were some medical concerns about Gomez at the time — a trade to the Mets was reportedly nixed in part due to concerns surrounding Gomez’s hip — and he performed dreadfully in the calendar year for which he donned an Astros uniform. The 30-year-old batted just .221/.277/.342 in 126 games for the Astros — a far cry from the terrific .278/.342/.475 batting line he compiled from Opening Day 2013 until the time of said trade. Gomez remains a base-stealing threat, but even defensive metrics have soured on his once-elite skill set in center field. Of course, he missed time in 2015 with a hamstring injury, played through alleged hip issues last season and spent more than a month on the DL in 2016 after injuring his rib cage while laying out to make a diving catch. Any and all of those issues could contribute to a decline in his defensive prowess in the outfield.

For the Cardinals, center field has been a revolving door for quite some time. Last year saw Jon Jay and Peter Bourjos deliver underwhelming performances before Randal Grichuk looked to seize the job, but Grichuk has taken a significant step back in 2016 and has been optioned to the minors on multiple occasions (though he’s back in the Majors now). Beyond Grichuk, the Cards have trotted out Tommy Pham, Jeremy Hazelbaker and even displaced second baseman Kolten Wong as they look to find a dependable everyday solution.

While Gomez is far from a certainty to fill that need, he could add an option with significant upside if he is ultimately released. That fate could very well be his outcome, as Gomez is owed $2.51MM through season’s end, and any claiming team would be on the hook for that sum. (And, while a trade is certainly another possibility, one can imagine that the recent data breach issues between the two teams in question here might create a reluctance to enter into such negotiations.)

Matt Holliday Diagnosed With Fractured Thumb

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The Cardinals received some bad news tonight, as outfielder Matt Holliday was diagnosed with a fractured right thumb, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). He left tonight’s action after being struck by a pitch.

[Related: Updated Cardinals Depth Chart]

While the prognosis remains unknown, the loss of Holliday even for a few weeks would constitute a significant blow to a St. Louis organization that is battling for a post-season berth. While the division may well be out of reach, the Cards are in position for a Wild Card spot, but face several tough competitors to make it into the one-game playoff.

Holliday, 36, hasn’t produced to his typical levels thus far with a .241/.315/.451 slash over 419 plate appearances. Though he has regained the power he didn’t show last year — he already has 19 home runs — the veteran’s typical on-base abilities have been lacking. After posting double-digit walk percentages for each of the last eight years, Holliday has slipped to an 8.1% mark thus far in 2016. He has also been stung by a .250 BABIP despite a healthy 38.8% hard-hit ratio.

Despite those relative struggles, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Holliday is capable of putting up quality numbers. Indeed, after a rough month of July, he has hit more like himself through the first two weeks of August. Whether a full turnaround is in the cards may now have to wait.

In the near term, the Cardinals’ flexibility will be reduced — particularly with first baseman Matt Adams and also shortstop Aledmys Diaz already on the DL. Tommy Pham and Randal Grichuk represent right-handed-hitting outfield options to go with Stephen Piscotty, with Brandon Moss and Jeremy Hazelbaker available from the left side. Without Adams and Holliday in the mix, though, the club’s match-up options are greatly reduced.

Looking beyond this season, the injury only heightens the uncertainty surrounding Holliday’s future in St. Louis. He is controllable via a $17MM club option that comes with a $1MM buyout, and it was already unclear whether that would be exercised. It’s a hefty pay rate, but one that is unquestionably worth it for a typical Holliday season. After all, he carries a .292/.379/.493 slash over his eight years with the Cards. Even with his output dipping of late, Holliday was a well-above-average hitter before the present season. But without the chance to observe his play down the stretch, the investment becomes all the more questionable.

NL Central Notes: Strop, Cards, Rosenthal, Iglesias

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Cubs setup man Pedro Strop suffered a left knee injury while sliding to make a play on a weakly hit grounder last night and had to be helped off the field, as MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat writes. Strop will undergo an MRI today, at which point the club will know more about the amount of time he’ll need to miss. The Cubs’ bullpen is a bit thin at the moment as it is, with right-hander Hector Rondon dealing with a triceps issue (though Rondon has not been placed on the disabled list). A significant injury to Strop would be a substantial blow to the Cubs’ late-inning relief corps, as Strop has turned in a very strong 2.89 ERA with 11.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 59.6 percent ground-ball rate in 43 2/3 innings. His 50 relief appearances trail only Travis Wood for the team lead.

More from the NL Central…

  • MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch provides an update on a number of injured Cardinals, noting that left-hander Tyler Lyons’ season could be in jeopardy. The 28-year-old has been diagnosed with a fracture in his right knee and recently received a platelet-rich plasma injection as part of the treatment. It’ll be another three weeks before he’s evaluated, though, and GM John Mozeliak candidly stated: “I definitely feel like his season may be in question.” Shortstop Aledmys Diaz is back with the team and currently sporting a splint on his fractured left thumb. He’ll meet with a hand specialist next Monday to further establish a timeline for his own return. Meanwhile, right-hander Jordan Walden, who has pitched just 10 1/3 innings as a Cardinal since coming over in the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller trade, hopes to return in September, though the Cardinals are being more cautious about his potential availability.
  • Injured closer Trevor Rosenthal told Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest (video link) that he’s dealing with a “pretty significant” flexor mass strain in his right forearm that has previously not been reported or acknowledged by the Cardinals. (Langosch notes in the above-linked piece that the team has still not confirmed that diagnosis.) Rosenthal is on the disabled list with inflammation in his right rotator cuff and recently received an PRP injection of his own, but the forearm issue, which Rosenthal says may have led to the inflammation in his shoulder, would be a new and possibly greater concern than the previously reported shoulder injury.
  • Raisel Iglesias recorded the first save of his big league career on Wednesday, and there could be quite a few more in his future, writes C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He’s stepped it up and I think we’re looking at a role that could be very comfortable for him and something we’ll have to weigh moving forward between starter and reliever,” said manager Bryan Price. Iglesias himself expressed an enormous amount of pride in being asked to take the ball in the ninth inning, explaining through a translator that he was as proud to pitch in that role as he was to be named Opening Day starter for the Reds. Said Iglesias: “I feel really proud because I’ve waited for this moment, this is what I’ve wanted to be on the team, this is what I want to do. I want to be the closer.” Iglesias looked like a highly intriguing rotation candidate entering the season, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for two months, and he’s pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since returning. Since being activated from the DL, Iglesias has a sensational 0.65 ERA with a 31-to-12 K/BB ratio in 27 2/3 innings.

Cardinals To Promote Luke Weaver

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The Cardinals will promote top prospect Luke Weaver to take Michael Wacha’s spot in the rotation on Saturday, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch writes. Weaver will become the second highly touted Cardinals right-hander to make his big league debut this week, as St. Louis called up Alex Reyes and inserted him into the Major League bullpen. The Cardinals will need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Weaver prior to Saturday’s debut.

[Related: Updated St. Louis Cardinals Depth Chart]

Weaver, 23 later this month, was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 2014 (27th overall) and has quickly risen through the team’s system, reaching Triple-A last week after missing a large portion of the season due to a fractured wrist in his non-throwing hand. Despite his missed time, Baseball America rated him as the game’s No. 75 prospect on its midseason Top 100, and MLB.com rated him 93rd on its same list of top prospects. The Florida State product’s results in 2016 are borderline absurd, as he’s pitched to a 1.30 ERA with a 92-to-12 K/BB ratio and a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate in 83 innings. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com praise Weaver’s fastball, which sits at 94 mph and can touch 96 mph, as well as a plus changeup with good movement. His slider and curve are both inconsistent, they note, but either could develop into an average offering.

It’s unclear at this time if Weaver will continue to start beyond Saturday or if his promotion will amount to a one-time cameo prior to the expansion of rosters in September. General manager John Mozeliak spoke highly of Weaver’s control and his confidence in the rookie heading into this weekend’s outing, but he didn’t commit to anything beyond that date. “I feel like when you look at the ability to throw strikes, get deeper into games, I think that’s important,” said Mozeliak (via Langosch). “Candidly, [Weaver] only had one start in Triple-A, but I think he’ll still give us a good opportunity to win that game.”

Weaver will step into the St. Louis rotation alongside Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Jaime Garcia and Mike Leake, and in an odd way, the wrist injury actually helps the Cardinals. Weaver tossed 124 2/3 innings in 2015 between Double-A and the Arizona Fall League and surely would’ve been at or beyond that point right now had he opened the season healthy. However, he’s now still 40 innings behind his 2015 total, thereby reducing potential reluctance to drive up his innings total. If Weaver proves effective early on, he could give the Cardinals a consistent option in the rotation down the stretch, or at least as long as Wacha remains sidelined with shoulder problems. The Cardinals will control Weaver through at least the 2022 season, and the earliest he can be eligible for arbitration would be upon completion of the 2019 campaign.

Cardinals Place Michael Wacha On DL, Promote Alex Reyes

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The Cardinals announced today that they’ve placed right-hander Michael Wacha on the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right shoulder and purchased the contract of top prospect Alex Reyes to fill Wacha’s spot on the roster. Brayan Pena has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to clear a 40-man spot for Reyes. Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Reyes will pitch out of the bullpen for the Cardinals, so he won’t be stepping directly into Wacha’s now-vacant spot in the starting five.

Reyes, 21, rates as one of the game’s top overall pitching prospects in the eyes of Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus and ESPN thanks largely to a fastball that touches triple digits, a very highly regarded curveball and a solid third offering in his changeup. He introduced himself to a national audience when he appeared in this summer’s Futures Game and pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. His biggest fault, to this point, has been a lack of control that has led him to average 4.6 walks per nine innings pitched throughout his minor league career. This season, his first at Triple-A, has been somewhat of a struggle, as Reyes has posted a 4.96 ERA with 12.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 43.2 percent ground-ball rate in 14 starts.

The Cardinals will control Reyes through at least the 2022 season via the arbitration process, and the earliest he’d be eligible for arbitration right now would be upon completion of the 2019 season, as the remaining 54 days of service time that he can accrue will leave him well shy of Super Two status.

Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM first tweeted that Reyes had been promoted.

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