photo: Carlos Martinez via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On Monday, August 17, the St. Louis Cardinals announced several immediate roster changes for the day’s doubleheader in Chicago.
We have selected RHP Nabil Crismatt to the Major League roster and optioned RHP Roel Ramírez to our Alternate Training Site. Ramírez will remain with the team on the Taxi Squad in Chicago.
RHP Jake Woodford has been named the 29th man for tonight’s doubleheader against the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/ZYGKvsPBxa
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 17, 2020
Crismatt, a native of Colombia, was a Double-A All-Star in both 2018 and 2019. The picture is different at Triple-A, however, where the 25-year old has a career 8.96 ERA in 22 appearances, including 15 starts. Crismatt, signed as a minor league free agent in November, is likely joining St. Louis to eat innings as needed.
To the media, manager Mike Shildt said of Crismatt prior to Game 1, “You got as much of a look as we did in the spring.”
Woodford, 23, made his MLB debut on Saturday and threw three one-run innings against the Chicago White Sox. Ramirez, 26, pitched in his first big-league action on Sunday and was touched for six runs on four long balls in 2/3 of an inning.
Lacking clarification from the Cardinals, we are carrying 44 players on the team’s 40-man roster. In reality, four on the special COVID IL have been temporarily removed, but we may not learn their identities until they are restored (and four others are moved off).
Other player news
The schedule with left-hander Austin Gomber has changed. While the lefty is with the team in Chicago, he will not be activated on Monday, but instead “will throw today, with an eye toward Wednesday,” Shildt said. The Cardinals and Cubs will play their second twin bill on three days then. Gomber has been on the COVID IL as a precaution after having been exposed to a positive case.
Carlos Martinez and Edmundo Sosa are the first two Cardinals to have gone on the COVID IL be cleared to begin baseball activity, which they are doing at Busch Stadium. The next step for shortstop Sosa will be to work his way back into playing shape at the alternate camp in Springfield, MO. Pitcher Martinez may remain in St. Louis.
“Clearly we are in a lot of moving parts with our pitching,” Shildt said. “That could impact Carlos.” The manager made it clear, however, that Martinez would not be ready to be activated on Thursday, when the team returns home. The upcoming role for the right-hander, who earned a starting spot out of Summer Camp, is unknown.
“Multiple” other Cardinals are right behind Martinez and Sosa, but for the last two days have been pending MLB’s review before they can begin activity. This group includes Yadier Molina and Paul DeJong, said the manager.
Reliever Seth Elledge, who had a strong multi-inning St. Louis introduction on Sunday, is “probably down today,” per Shildt, but the manager is “optimistic that he will be ready in a shorter stint tomorrow.”
Following the doubleheader, Shildt said that Jack Flaherty threw on Monday afternoon in St. Louis and “came through well”. The team’s ace is scheduled to start Wednesday’s Game 1.
Update
Prior to Game 2 of Monday’s twin bill, the Cardinals made another pair of roster moves affecting the 29-man active roster and the 40-man, as well.
We have selected RHP Ryan Meisinger to the Major League roster and optioned 1B John Nogowski to our Alternate Training Site.
Nogowski will remain on the team’s Taxi Squad. pic.twitter.com/hTgnU2JK1K
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 17, 2020
The 11th-round pick of the Orioles in 2015, Meisinger made his major league debut with Baltimore in 2018 for 21 innings, posting a 6.43 ERA. He joined the Cardinals that December off waivers. Less than two weeks later, the right-hander was designated for assignment and cleared outright waivers on January 4, 2019.
In 2019 with Memphis, the 26-year old logged a 3.09 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 35 innings, all in relief.
With this move, Meisinger became the fifth “extra” player added to the 40-man as the Cardinals react to having 11 on the COVID IL. While five players have been temporarily moved off the 40-man, which ones have not yet been announced. And when the COVID cases return, five players will need to be removed.
If one of them turns out to be Meisinger, and if he is unclaimed, he could refuse the assignment and become a free agent, because it would be his second outright.
But first things first. The Cardinals need innings now and Meisinger is more experienced than most options immediately available.
Full roster detail at The Cardinal Nation
To view the two 2020 rosters and to track the status of the Cardinals’ 60-man pool, 40-man roster as well as all players in the system by position and level, check out the Roster Matrix, always free and updated here at The Cardinal Nation. Also included is every player transaction across the full organization all year long.
Detailed team rosters for the entire system can be accessed via the red menu column at the top left (see “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES”).
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