Per a team announcement, the St. Louis Cardinals will promote starting pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo on Friday. Though Graceffo has been a starter throughout his time in professional ball, Katie Woo of the Athletic reports that the Cardinals plan to use him out of the bullpen for the time being.
Roster News: RHP Gordon Graceffo has been selected from Memphis (AAA). He will be making his Major League debut and will wear #67.
RHP Kyle Leahy has been optioned to Memphis.
To make room on the 40-player roster, LHP Steven Matz has been transferred to the 60-day IL. pic.twitter.com/BwZOOqJeYj
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) June 28, 2024
In corresponding moves, St. Louis placed Steven Matz on the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot while opening a spot on the active roster by sending Kyle Leahy to Triple-A. Matz recently suffered a setback in his comeback from back issues and will miss at least another 4-6 weeks.
St. Louis Cardinals To Promote Gordon Graceffo
St. Louis drafted Graceffo out of Villanova in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB draft. The 6’4″ righty quickly made a name for himself, producing a 1.73 ERA in 26 Single-A innings in 2021.
In 2022, Graceffo continued to impress. Split between High, Double, and Triple-A, he tossed 139 1/3 innings and posted a 2.97 ERA in 26 starts while striking out 139. With this performance, many considered him as a candidate to emerge as a top-100 caliber prospect.
However, his stock took a hit with an uneven showing in Triple-A in last season. In 2023, Graceffo dealt with shoulder troubles and produced a 4.92 ERA in just 86 innings of work. It was unclear whether his struggles stemmed mostly from injury or if he simply overachieved in the lower levels.
Despite the struggles, Graceffo continued to rank among the better prospects in the Cardinals’ system. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as the organization’s fourth-best pitching prospect and eighth-best prospect overall.
Gordon Graceffo
First 7 starts:
4.93 ERA, 10.6% K-BB%, 8.3% Brl%, .362 xDamage, 19.1% Whiff%, 25.2% CSW%, 92.2 vFALast 2 starts:
1.29 ERA, 16.4% K-BB%, 0.0% Brl%, .257 xDamage, 31.3% Whiff%, 30.3% CSW%, 93.4 vFA pic.twitter.com/fRktm9Jk6C— Jacob (@JacobE_STL) May 22, 2024
However, the Cardinals will promote Graceffo after a rebound performance in the minors this season. The 24-year-old has produced good, not great strikeout and walk rates with a 3.84 ERA in 14 Triple-A starts. The Cardinals likely see Graceffo as a long-term starter but need him to provide multiple innings in relief for the time being.
Ideally, the Cardinals can promote Graceffo and trade for one less arm at the deadline. Evaluators expect Graceffo’s fastball to gain a couple miles per hour due to the nature of shorter stints in the bullpen. At that point, the pitch should pair better with his already above-average to plus slider.
Main Photo Credits: Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
