The St. Louis Cardinals had a rough day on Wednesday, losing 6-1 to the San Diego Padres in their series finale. The game was close until right-hander Chris Roycroft allowed three runs to put the game out of reach.
After the game, Roycroft was demoted to Triple-A Memphis, but the Cardinals had yet to announce his replacement on the roster. There were several options at their disposal before they decided to make the final call and bring up a fresh arm to bolster the bullpen.
However, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat, the Cardinals found their man for their upcoming series against the Kansas City Royals.
“Source with direct knowledge says the Cardinals are calling up Max Rajcic to make his MLB debut in KC, replacing Chris Roycroft on the active roster,” Jones posted on X. 40-man machinations TBA, but Rajcic will have to be added and a spot opened.”
Cardinals Call Up Former Sixth-Round Pick to Bolster Bullpen
Rajcic was selected by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was once a starting pitcher and was the team’s minor league pitcher of the year in 2023, per Jones.
As a reliever this season, he owns a 2.88 ERA.
Roycroft has struggled since making his big-league debut in 2024. This season, he owns a 15.19 ERA in seven appearances. He was called up after the Cardinals sent right-hander Hunter Dobbins back down to Triple-A after his start last week.
The Cardinals will have to do something with their 40-man roster, but at the very least, they have a fresh arm for their weekend series against the Royals, and that should help replenish the bullpen a little bit after it had a rough weekend against the Minnesota Twins and struggled some more against the Padres.
The bullpen has been the main area of weakness for the Cardinals in 2026 despite their hot start. They have the fifth fewest strikeouts in the league and have posted a 4.23 ERA, which is 1oth in the National League, so refreshing things a little should help after some recent struggles.
The Cardinals enter their series against the Royals 5 1/2 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, so this weekend represents a chance for them to gain some ground and get closer to the top.
Bullpen Remains Cardinals Weakness
The Cardinals have a lot of pitching depth in their system, so the bullpen can always be refreshed at any moment. They likely won’t go all-in at the trade deadline for expensive pieces, though they could do some light buying as long as it doesn’t affect the future too much.
If they do that, they could add a bullpen arm or two and get themselves closer to the Brewers in the NL Central.
It will be interesting to see how Rajcic fares in his first weekend with the big-league club. Perhaps he could be the missing piece the bullpen needs in order to get back on track and help the Cardinals make a push for the playoffs.
Cardinals Call Up Former Sixth-Round Pick, Demote Chris Roycroft to Triple-A