photo: Brett Cecil (Gregory Fisher/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s (Friday’s) game that they have placed left-handed pitcher Tyler Lyons (mid back strain) on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to May 9, and activated left-handed pitcher Brett Cecil (left shoulder strain) from the 10-day disabled list.
Cecil, who appeared in one game with the Cardinals on Opening Day, March 29, appeared in two games on a recent injury rehabilitation assignment, working one scoreless inning on May 8 for Springfield (AA) and one scoreless inning for Memphis (AAA) on May 10 at Oklahoma City.
Cecil owns a career mark of 43-46 with a 4.17 ERA in 404 career appearances between Toronto (2009-2016) and St. Louis (2017-18).
Lyons co-leads the Cardinals with his 18 relief appearances, the last on May 8. He’s gone 1-0 with a 6.17 ERA, striking out 12 in 11.2 innings pitched this season.
Brian Walton’s take
The reliever roulette wheel continues to spin. The St. Louis roster has been changed on seven of the 11 days of May so far. To help put that into perspective, I made this comparison:
The Dodgers took a lot of heat for their aggressive use of the 10-day DL last season. Through May 11, 2017, they made 18 moves with 17 different players. 2018 to date, #StlCards have made 12 moves with 11 players. (Wainwright twice)
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) May 11, 2018
Eight of the nine relievers currently on the active roster continue to be right-handed, with Cecil the only exception.
My only additional observation is that Memphis is now really playing two players short, with just 23 active. That total includes just 11 pitchers, one of whom is Mike O’Reilly, who opened the season at Palm Beach. At least for Cecil’s one game there, the Redbirds had the benefit of an “extra” player.
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