Cardinals May Have Solution to Bullpen Troubles Ready in Triple-A

The time has come for some bullpen fixes.

Apr 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; a detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) hat with a patch honoring Jackie Robinson during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Busch Stadium. Players and coaches are wearing number 42 in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals were unable to keep their momentum alive over the weekend and ultimately lost two out of three to the struggling Minnesota Twins. The Cardinals are still in playoff position as a new week begins, but there are issues that cannot be ignored.

The bullpen blew a 7-4 lead on Friday night as the Cardinals dropped the series opener 9-8. St. Louis had a 4-2 lead late on Sunday before allowing three unanswered runs to lose 5-4. Clearly, the bullpen needs some work.

However, the Cardinals may have a fix waiting for them in Triple-A Memphis. Right-hander Luis Gastelum has allowed just one earned run in 11 relief appearances since a blowup outing on May 13.

Luis Gastelum allowed six runs in a game a month ago, May 13. Since then, he has made 11 relief appearances for Memphis:

14.2 IP, 1 ER, 6H, 1 BB, 17 K.#stlcards  ⛽️

— Tom Ackerman (@Ackerman1120) June 14, 2026

Cardinals May Have Bullpen Solution Ready

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Luis Gastelum (95) delivers a pitch during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

On Friday, the Cardinals promoted right-hander Chris Roycroft to the big league club. But he didn't exactly pitch well in his return on Saturday. In fact, the only reliever to not allow at least one run over the weekend in Minnesota was right-hander Matt Svanson, who has pitched well since returning from Triple-A.

But the Cardinals are fortunate to have Gastelum ready. They would be wise to call him up just so they can have a fresh arm in the bullpen. He has pitched quite well since his blowup outing, and the Cardinals need somebody to help stop the bleeding in the bullpen.

Despite the offense scoring 21 runs in the series, the bullpen ultimately let the Cardinals down and led to them losing a series they ought to have won. They had every chance to pull off a series victory, but let it slip away.

Still, Gastelum could give them a fresh arm and help set the 'pen back on the right path. The 24-year-old right-hander has a 3.09 ERA in 28 appearances with Memphis this season and has gone 6-1. He also has averaged nine strikeouts per nine innings, which is quite good for a reliever.

The Cardinals simply need a bit of a fresh start if they want to get back on track. They have an important series coming up with the San Diego Padres, then will face several contending teams in the month of July, so making this change would be a good idea for them if they want to try and stop the bleeding in the bullpen.

Gastelum makes sense as somebody they could call up to fill a hole.