photo: Matt Bowman (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals have lost reliever Matt Bowman via waivers to the Cincinnati Reds, the club announced Friday. The December 2015 Rule 5 pick from the Mets opened 2018 on the Major League roster for the third straight year, but struggled with injuries and perhaps related ineffectiveness all season.
The right-hander was first placed on the 10-day disabled list (blisters on right hand) on 5/18, his first trip to the disabled list in his MLB career. In total, Bowman missed 40 games during two trips to St. Louis’ disabled list (5/18-6/14 and 6/19-7/4), both with blisters on his right throwing hand.
Following his second activation from the disabled list on 7/5, the 27-year old was optioned to Memphis. Bowman was recalled to the majors from Memphis on 7/18 and optioned back to Triple-A (7/20) following two relief appearances during which he allowed runs in both.
In 22 games with St. Louis in 2018, he went 0-2 with a 6.26 ERA, his worst season by far. Bowman had been used heavily in 2016 and 2017, appearing in 59 and 75 games, respectively for then-manager Mike Matheny.
This season, Bowman made 18 relief appearances for Memphis, posting an 0-1 record with a 4.30 ERA and one save while striking out 30 in 23 innings (11.74 K/9 IP). He finished 2018 on the Redbirds’ seven-day disabled list (8/13-9/4) with right hand blisters and had finger surgery following the season.
The move drops St. Louis’ 40-man roster to 38 players.
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— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 1, 2018
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