The St. Louis Cardinals opted to DFA recently acquired reliever Shawn Armstrong on Tuesday and selected Riley O’Brien from Triple-A to fill the middle innings role. Armstrong, who the Cards acquired in a one-for-one swap for outfielder Dylan Carlson, has posted a 4.85 ERA in 59 1/3 innings in 2024. O’Brien, an offseason acquisition from the Seattle Mariners, had a stellar spring training with the club but went down with a right flexor strain on March 31. He returned to Triple-A in early August.
Roster Move: RHP Riley O’Brien has been recalled from Memphis (AAA).
RHP Shawn Armstrong has been designated for assignment. pic.twitter.com/OOWvzzYbGX
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 27, 2024
Cardinals DFA Reliever Shawn Armstrong
Armstrong: A Minor Deadline Deal
After the return of Lars Nootbaar and the acquisition of Tommy Pham, the Cardinals needed to clear room in their outfield at the trade deadline. The struggling Carlson, once a top organizational prospect, was slashing an abysmal .198/.240/.275 through 59 games with the team. Coupled with his defensive struggles in center field, in comparison to the superb Michael Siani, the Cardinals ultimately chose to move on from a player who never quite panned out.
Armstrong struggled as well in his first games with the Cardinals. Through four appearances, he gave up four earned runs on seven hits with six strikeouts. However, he was fairly consistent through his next seven appearances, allowing no earned runs and only three hits. With the emergence of multiple middle-inning arms this year, including John King, JoJo Romero, and Ryan Fernandez, Armstrong was often relegated to low-leverage spots with the Cardinals. He is currently on a one-year $2,050,000 contract.
High Hopes for O’Brien
After a solid spring training, the Cardinals hoped to include O’Brien on the bullpen staff for Opening Day. While his injury foiled this plan, his potential as an extra arm in relief and spot starter can help the Cardinals down the stretch. Last year with Triple-A Tacoma, he threw for a 2.29 ERA and 15 saves in 51 appearances.
The Cardinals, sitting six games out of a Wild Card spot, look to save money and potentially get valuable innings from a young reliever down the stretch.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
