Cardinals Veteran Reliever Returns From Injured List, Option Pitcher
The St. Louis Cardinals activated Giovanny Gallegos from the 15-day injured list Friday. The Cardinals have optioned Adam Kloffenstein to Triple-A Memphis as a corresponding move. St. Louis has a rare Friday off day, but it will have Gallegos back in their bullpen Saturday. The veteran reliever has been out since early May with a right shoulder impingement but didn’t pitch well on a rehab assignment. Gallegos allowed eight runs with a 5:4 K:BB over 6 1/3 innings. He will likely be eased into high-leverage situations once he gets more innings.
Kloffenstein made his MLB debut Thursday night at Rickwood Field, coming out of the bullpen to pitch a quick inning in the eighth of the Cardinals 6-5 win against the San Francisco Giants. Kloffenstein was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a deal for Jordan Hicks at the trade deadline. Since coming to the Cardinals organization, Kloffenstein has put up strong numbers. This season, he has a 3.97 ERA through 77 innings in 14 games. The Cardinals also announced that Victor Scott II was optioned back to the minors with Kloffenstein.
Giovanny Gallegos Activated from Injured List
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Gallegos, 32, allowed 12 runs in nine innings before landing on the injured list. It was a surprising showing from a pitcher like Gallegos, who is usually solid on the mound. From 2019-23, Gallegos was one of the reliable bullpen arms the Cardinals relied on. He posted a combined 3.14 ERA with an exceptional 30.7 percent strikeout rate against a 6.4 percent walk rate in 238 1/3 innings.
Gallegos is in the second season of a two-year, $11 million contract with a $6.5 million club option. Suppose he can look like his former self upon his return; that makes it an easy call for the Cardinals to pick it up. However, his disastrous start to the 2024 season says otherwise at this time.