Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Lose 6-Year Veteran Just Days After Activation

The Cardinals lost another piece on Wednesday...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have made moves left and right recently to adjust the bullpen.

One move that was made recently was the activation of left-handed pitcher John King. He was activated off of the 15-day Injured List on August 24th. He last appeared in a game for the Cardinals almost one month ago on July 29th.

Unfortunately, his stay in St. Louis isn't for long. The team announced on Wednesday that King is going back to the Injured List and the team is promoting Andre Granillo back to the big league roster in response.

"RHP Andre Granillo has been recalled from Memphis (AAA)," the team announced. "LHP John King (mid-back strain) has been placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Aug. 26."

The Cardinals lost another piece on Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John King
Jul 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John King (47) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The 2025 season hasn't gone as planned for King. Last year, he had a 2.85 ERA across 56 appearances. This year, King's ERA ballooned up to 5.18 across 43 appearances. To go along with his higher ERA, the season has been disjoininted and unlucly from an injury perspective.

St. Louis currently has the fifth-ranked bullpen ERA in baseball at 3.64. This in itself is wildy impressive. The Cardinals traded three significant pieces away this summer in Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton. King was a massive piece for the Cardinals over the last few years, but it hasn't been his season. And yet, the Cardinals have navigated the injuries and trades in style.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals don't look like a playoff team. They are 65-68 right now with just a few weeks to go and are 18 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals are also 6 1/2-games out of a National League Wild Card spot right now. Despite all of this, the bullpen has been one of the biggest bright spots for the organization.

For all of the other issues that St. Louis has right now, the organization surely does know how to build a bullpen. This was the case last year as well when the Cardinals finished the season with the seventh-best bullpen ERA at 3.64.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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