Cardinals calling up highly anticipated prospect to give bullpen some relief

The St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen has been their strength this season and has helped them overcome a 15-24 start to put themselves in playoff position.

However, the cracks are beginning to show. Both JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge have been slightly less effective in recent weeks, and the Cardinals were forced to rely heavily on their bullpen in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves.

And so, to give a few pitchers a little bit of rest, they have called up a highly anticipated prospect. Right-hander Gordon Graceffo is set to join the team today ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Reds.

Cardindals call up promising young prospect to bolster bullpen

Graceffo has been one of the Cardinals' most highly anticipated prospects. The 24-year-old has made 14 starts with Triple-A Memphis this year.

In those 14 starts, the right-hander owns a respectable 3.84 ERA. His strikeout rate of 21.4 percent and walk rate of 8.9 percent are slightly concerning, but he has been a viable arm down at Triple-A.

The corresponding move has yet to be announced, but the Cardinals will have to send a pitcher down to Triple-A to make room for him on the big-league roster. He also is not on the 40-man roster, but they can make room for him if they transfer left-hander Steven Matz to the 60-day injured list. Matz is currently recovering from a back injury and had a major setback recently.

The Cardinals come into tonight's game with a record of 41-39. They hold a one-game lead over the New York Mets for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. They also own a 26-15 record since May 12, which is a National League-best.

Having Graceffo should help St. Louis out tremendously, especially if a starter is unable to go deep into a game. They could use Graceffo as a long man to eat some innings if the situation calls for it.

Andre Pallante will get the start for the Cards tonight. He comes into tonight's game with a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 5.23. He went 5.1 innings and allowed five runs in the Rickwood Field game last week.