Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Demote Righty To Make Room For Flamethrower

The Cardinals made yet another move on Monday...
Patrick McAvoy|
Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals made yet another move on Monday to help out in the bullpen.

St. Louis has been mixing and matching the bullpen all season to this point and that has only increased since the Cardinals traded Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton away. The Cardinals have made due since then and continued to shake up the roster on Monday.

St. Louis announced that it is promoting righty Gordon Graceffo back up to the big leagues and sending Andre Granillo down to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

"RHP Gordon Graceffo has been recalled from Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Andre Granillo has been optioned to Memphis."

The Cardinals continue to get looks at young guys down the stretch

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Gordon Graceffo
Jul 13, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) reacts after getting the final out of the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Graceffo has appeared in 17 games at the big league level this season and has struggled to a 5.81 ERA and 26-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 innings pitched. On the bright side, he's in the 70th percentile in fastball velocity right now. He has electric stuff, but just hasn't harnessed it in the majors overall this year. He's been better in Memphis with a 3.77 ERA in 24 outings.

Granillo has pitched in 12 games at the big league level with a 4.82 ERA and 14-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 2/3 innings pitched. He's also been better down in the minors. With Memphis, he has pitched to a 1.50 ERA across 24 outings with the Redbirds.

Since the Cardinals trade Helsley, Maton, and Matz away, the bullpen has been overall a pleasant surprise. When you trade three guys of that caliber, you expect struggles to hit. Things haven't been perfect, but have been better than expected. This flip-flopping likely will continue down the stretch as the Cardinals atttempt to get looks at their young guys with eyes towards the future. The Cardinals have about five weeks to go until Chaim Bloom and a new era takes over the organization.

Is Graceffo or Granillo a piece the team can trust in the bullpen moving forward beyond 2025? We'll find out, for sure.

More MLB: Cardinals To Attempt $42 Million Trade This Winter: Insider

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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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