The St. Louis Cardinals made an effort to strengthen the quality and depth of their pitching staff this winter. Well, one of those new arms will be out for a little bit as the Cardinals placed righty Nick Robertson on the injured list on Sunday with right elbow inflammation. St. Louis recalled right-hander Andre Pallante from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Although elbow inflammation might sound troubling, Robertson doesn’t seem too concerned. He said he felt tightness in his elbow while playing catch prior to a game. His injured list stint is retroactive to May 23, and Robertson told reporters that he doesn’t expect to miss much time.
“Everything looks good and nothing to be concerned about,” he said.
St. Louis Cardinals Place Nick Roberston on the Injured List
The Cardinals acquired Robertson this winter by trading outfielder Tyler O’Neill to the Boston Red Sox. Trading for Robertson represented one of many moves meant to bolster the Cardinals’ pitching staff. However, Robertson has had mixed results in limited time in the majors.
In eight games, the 30-year-old has posted a 4.38 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. Though it’s a small sample, Robertson has displayed great walk (under four percent) and chase (32.7 percent) rates. The rookie has fared better in the minors this season, posting a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings across six relief outings.
The pitching staff for the Cardinals ranks in the bottom half of MLB in stats like WAR, ERA+, ERA, and strikeout percentage. While Robertson with his inexperience is not guaranteed to upgrade the staff, he’s an intriguing arm who had the opportunity to establish himself in the bigs.
Instead, Robertson will head to the injured list while the Cardinals continue to search for pitching answers.
Andre Pallante
Replacing Robertson is Pallante, a righty who has bounced between the rotation and bullpen in recent years. This season, the 25-year-old started the season in the St. Louis bullpen but struggled to a 6.30 ERA. This led to a Triple-A demotion, where the Cardinals decided to stretch him out as a starter.
Pallante has produced mixed results in four appearances (three starts) with Triple-A Memphis. While he has posted a 2.20 ERA, he has walked 13 and struck out nine in 16 1/3 innings. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters that Pallante will be used to eat innings out of the bullpen, but might start on Wednesday in place of the injured Steven Matz.
This winter, Pallante worked to strengthen his repertoire and added a new breaking pitch. The Cardinals are hoping to squeeze the most value out of him by using him as a reliever with this nasty pitch and a high-90s fastball.
The results are not there yet, and Pallante clearly has struggled to command the pitch. But if he can figure it out, he’d represent a player development win that has eluded the organization in recent years.