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Cardinals Promote Promising Triple-A Reliever to Potentially Fortify Bullpen
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- Cardinals Promote Promising Triple-A Reliever to Potentially Fortify Bullpen
Roundtable Sports' John Denton analyzes the promotion of prized reliever Luis Gastelum, who did not allow an earned run over his last 18 outings for Triple-A Memphis.
Hoping he can use the same devastating changeup at thebig-league level that allowed him to zip through the Minor League system andrack up huge strikeout numbers, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted promisingreliever Luis Gastelum on Wednesday before their game against the Brewers .
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Gastelum, 24, was 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 49 strikeoutsover 43 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A Memphis before his promotion. When heenters a game for the Cardinals, the native of Los Mochis, Mexico will bemaking his MLB debut.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Gastelum, theCardinals designated veteran left-hander Jared Shuster for assignment for athird time this season. Shuster surrendered seven runs in Tuesday's seventhinning – a 10-2 loss to the Brewers .
Hunter Dobbins , who was added as the 27th playerfor the doubleheader, was returned to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.
In a critical stretch of their season that could very well shape their decisions at the MLB Trade Deadline in late July, the Cardinals have lost three straight games to the National League Central-leading Brewers. Milwaukee rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to wipe out a 3-0 deficit on Monday night.
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The Brewers won Game 1 of a split doubleheader on Tuesday by scoring three times off veteran lefty Bruce Zimmermann and another against Ryan Stanek , who suffered a sprained right ankle while attempting to cover first base.
Zimmerman, who had spent most of the season in Triple-A, was designated for assignment right after the afternoon game. That move made room for Shuster, who was DFAed for a third time by the Cardinals following the night loss.
The Cardinals, who have dropped six straight to the Brewers, faced Milwaukee tonight and Thursday. They then host the Braves for three games before breaking for the MLB All-Star Game.
Gastelum has allowed a run since May 17
In addition to holding foes to a .172 batting average thisseason in Triple-A, Gastelum posted a 28 percent strikeout rate. He didn'tallow an earned run over his last 18 appearances with Memphis – a streak datingto May 17 – when he went 4-0 with a save and 30 strikeouts in 22 1/3 inningspitched.
Gastelum was signed by the Cardinals as an internationalfree agent on April 26, 2023, and systematically worked his way up through theclub's Minor League system by piling up huge strikeout and swing-and-missnumbers with a darting changeup that allows his 93-mph fastball to play up tohitters.
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He posted strikeout-per-nine ratios of 8.9 and 12.9 overhis first two professional seasons in the Florida Coast League and with Class-APalm Beach in 2023 and 2024.
In 2025 with Double-A Springfield, Gastelum struck out 192batters in 62 2/3 innings of work (13.2 K-per-nine innings) and registered 10saves.
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