Cardinals juggle roster, pitching rotation amid grueling June schedule
So much of navigating a baseball team through a month with barely any downtime comes down to constantly adjusting in ways that keep all of the necessary balls in the air without allowing too many of those balls to either hit the dirt or sail over the fence.
It would also be helpful for all involved if everyone’s arms remained attached to their bodies and in good health, which seems to be reason driving the St. Louis Cardinals’ decision to recall Michael McGreevy to make one cromulent start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and then shuttling him back to Memphis.
McGreevy and Matt Svanson were optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday after their appearances on Sunday, replaced on the active roster by Riley O’Brien and Chris Roycroft. Those moves occurred at the confluence of schedule pressure and roster limitations, even as the Cardinals continue to plan for additional spots for McGreevy to take occasional turns in the big league rotation.
“A lot of things go into that [decision],” manager Oli Marmol said. “I’ll start with this – I really like having [McGreevy] up here. I like a lot of things about him. I like his personality. I like what he brings to the clubhouse. I like his overall poise and what comes out of his hand. I think he gives us a shot every time he’s out there. I’d like to have him up here for longer.
“When you talk about health and putting yourself in the best position for that, it’s not only for the rotation, but it’s also for the bullpen. When you look at that doubleheader [last week], and then Friday, Saturday and where we are today, you need to protect that bullpen.”
Some of the bullpen “problems,” such as they are, are downstream of positive developments. Steven Matz has been so superlative as largely a reliever thus far this season – just three walks and 32 strikeouts, along with no homers allowed in 37 ⅓ innings – that he’s earned his way into pitching high leverage outings, rather than being held for long relief spots.
That leaves the Cardinals somewhat more exposed than they were earlier in the year, when Matz fit more naturally into that role. And Matz, too, is pitching from the bullpen for an extended period for the first time in his ten-year career, and learning how his arm and body respond to those challenges. He threw in both Cardinals wins against the Dodgers over the weekend, on Friday and Saturday, and in so doing turned in just his second back-to-back appearances of the season.
When he last performed that feat, on April 8 and 9, the Cardinals followed the second outing with days off for recovery. The team has been meticulous about its commitment to injury prevention, and it’s hard to argue with the results. Through Monday, the only pitcher to visit the major league injured list this season has been Zack Thompson, who landed there with a lat strain in spring training but was unlikely to feature prominently into the team’s plans even if healthy.
In finding pieces that fit the short term need, Marmol said O’Brien was chosen for promotion in part due to his success in making batters swing and miss in the minors. His 32 strikeouts in just 19 ⅓ innings for Memphis do indeed represent an eye-popping total, and Marmol described his next step as “translating” those results to the majors.
“When you look at the pen, there’s opportunity for it,” Marmol said. “Having someone who can miss some bats and out-stuff you could be good, and helpful.”
Righty Andre Granillo, who is yet to receive his first call-up to the big leagues, is barely trailing O’Brien on a strikeout rate basis, but has piled up larger raw totals – 45 strikeouts in 28 ⅔ innings pitched, accompanied by just eight walks. Marmol said with enthusiasm that reports on Granillo have been “great.”
Granillo, though, does not currently hold a spot on the 40-player roster, which is full. That makes it harder to bring him up for a short-term appearance to simply eat a couple innings at a time as the staff evaluates whether his under-the-hood numbers – which Marmol said are reflective of his in-game success – would translate to big league hitters.
Still, the manager mused, “at some point you have to find out, right?”
McGreevy’s next appearance will yet again likely be determined by the schedule. Roster rules require him to spend 15 days in the minors before being called up, unless replacing a player placed on the injured list. If the Cardinals’ injury luck holds, then, he’ll next be eligible for a recall in the third week of June, during the series in which the Chicago Cubs arrive for their first matchup with the Cardinals this season.
That series comes square in the middle of a 16-day span without an off-day, which is the sort of stretch that has spurred them into a temporary six-man rotation twice already this season. The timing is not coincidental; selecting both his recall date and potential next start have been done with breaking up those tough stretches in front of mind.
Marmol nodded in affirmation when asked if that timing was part of the design, so there is some approaching, if temporary, light at the end of McGreevy’s tunnel. It just makes for a long, difficult wait for a 24-year-old former first round pick who seemingly has little left to achieve in the minors.
