Let’s assume that the St. Louis Cardinals, weary from a hard-fought series against Cincinnati and coming off a 13-inning contest on Wednesday, need fresh arms. With four straight games immediately ahead against Kirk Gibson’s resurgent Arizona Diamondbacks, let’s assume that right-hander P.J. Walters is returned to the 40-man and 25-man active rosters.
There are candidates to be optioned out, with probably the easiest, though perhaps not most deserving, being Walters’ fellow Memphis rotation member for much of the season, Brandon Dickson. Dickson went 2 1/3 shutout innings Wednesday night against the Reds at Busch Stadium.
Walters, scheduled to start for Memphis in Round Rock Thursday evening, should offer that replacement fresh arm in long relief.
With the Cardinals’ 40-man roster full, however, how might they make room for Walters, who was removed from the 40-man less than six weeks ago, on May 28. Since then, the 26-year-old went 4-1 with a 2.10 ERA and fanned 34 in 34 1/3 June innings to be named The Cardinal Nation Pitcher of the Month.
Here are some of the 40-man possibilities. Vote for your preferred choice. Refer to the Cardinals organization Roster Matrix for details on who is where. On the Roster Matrix, 40-man players are bolded.
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