Cardinals DFA Jared Shuster, But That Doesn't Guarantee He'll Leave St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a complicated few days from a pitching perspective.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals played a doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers and that led to the club shaking things up from a pitching standpoint. Bruce Zimmermann was promoted to come in behind Matt Svanson as an opener in the first game of the doubleheader. Zimmermann was promoted in place of reliever Ryan Fernandez.

After the game, the Cardinals designated Zimmermann for assignment and promoted Jared Shuster in his place. All the while, it was known that No. 21 prospect Luis Gastelum would be promoted to the big leagues either on Tuesday or Wednesday. On Wednesday, that move was made official. To get Gastelum on the roster, the Cardinals designated Shuster for assignment.

The Cardinals Were Busy

May 6, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jared Shuster (68) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"In a corresponding move, LHP Jared Shuster has been designated for assignment," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Hunter Dobbins has been returned to Memphis following yesterday's doubleheader."

This isn't the first time that Shuster has been designated for assignment by the Cardinals. This is actually the third time that he has been designated for assignment. He was designated for assignment back in April, but went unclaimed and was sent back to Triple-A. In May, the same thing happened.

With that being said, it wouldn't be shocking to see the same thing happen this time around. He has a 9.00 ERA in five outings in the big leagues this season and an 8.78 ERA in 18 outings down in Triple-A this season. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the easy option would just be sending him back down to Triple-A once again and then doing the same thing at another point this season, if the Cardinals need.

There's talent there. Back in 2024, he had a 4.30 ERA in 39 appearances for the Chicago White Sox. His numbers aren't great this season, but this is a guy who has pitched in 67 big league games in four seasons and can fill in at a moment's notice, like on Tuesday. Plus, his ERA in the big leagues looks much worse because of a tough outing on Tuesday. He had a 2.35 ERA in his first four appearances in a Cardinals uniform.

With Shuster being DFA'd, it doesn't guarantee that he will be out of the organization in general. Clubs have a chance to claim him off waivers right now and we should find out more in the coming days. For the Cardinals' sake, hopefully he doesn't get claimed and can stay in the organization as a depth option.

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