The Cardinals made some moves in between games of today’s doubleheader. They selected left-hander Jared Shuster to the roster. Fellow lefty Bruce Zimmermann has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Zimmermann was only added to the roster this morning. Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the Cards wanted to give some extra rest to starters Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante. That meant that Zimmermann was tapped to be the bulk guy for the first game of today’s twin bill, with Hunter Dobbins to start the nightcap. Zimmermann did well enough, allowing three earned runs over five innings, though the Brewers won the game 4-3.
It seems the Cards didn’t plan for Zimmermann to hang around beyond this one outing, so he has been quickly bumped off the roster. He is out of options and could not be easily sent back to the minors. Instead, he will likely be on waivers in the coming days.
Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, Zimmerman had been pitching fairly well prior to this call-up. He has made 15 Triple-A starts on the year, logging 78 2/3 innings, allowing 3.78 earned runs per nine. His 25.7% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 42.9% ground ball rate are all better than average figures.
Perhaps that will lead to interest from other clubs, especially with several teams dealing with mounting injuries. Zimmermann doesn’t throw especially hard, averaging below 90 miles per hour with his fastball this year, but he has a six-pitch mix to keep hitters honest. He has 164 1/3 big league innings in his career with a 5.64 ERA, 17.5% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 41.9% ground ball rate.
Shuster gives the club a fresh arm for the second game. The 27-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Cards in the offseason and this is now the third time he has been added to the big league roster this year. The first two instances each saw him make two appearances before getting designated for assignment, since he is out of options. In both cases, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.
Around the transactions, Shuster has allowed two earned runs in 7 2/3 major league innings. However, his larger major league track record isn’t as nice, nor are this year’s minor league results. In 149 1/3 big league innings over four seasons, he has a 5.12 ERA, 15% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 37% ground ball rate. In Triple-A this year, he has logged 27 2/3 innings with an 8.78 ERA. A lot of that inflated ERA is down to bad luck but even his 6.99 FIP isn’t much more optimistic.
It’s possible that Shuster is lined up for the DFA carousel again tomorrow. As mentioned, he is out of options. It has also been reported that the Cardinals plan to select Luis Gastelum this week, so perhaps he and Shuster will trade places in the wake of today’s doubleheader.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images