The St. Louis Cardinals are slipping in the standings as the second half continues. The team got off to a hot start and played well in the first half. Their main issue continues to be their bullpen.
Back in June, the Cardinals called up right-hander Max Rajcic from Triple-A Memphis, and he made his major league debut. He showed some promise, averaging eight strikeouts per nine innings in six relief appearances, but he went on the injured list with an elbow issue in early July.
According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat, Rajcic’s season is now over, and 2027 is also in jeopardy.
“Max Rajcic shared on Instagram this afternoon that he had Tommy John, as anticipated. Typical rehab timeframe would see him missing most if not all of 2027,” Jones posted on X.
St. Louis Cardinals Lose Max Rajcic to Tommy John Surgery
Rajcic posted a 5.00 ERA in his six appearances with St. Louis. The Cardinals are the very least much deeper in the pitching department throughout their system than they were at this point last year, but losing Racjic certainly hurts their depth.
He was the team’s minor league pitcher of the year in 2023 as a starter, but he made the transition to the bullpen not long after. The Cardinals drafted him back in 2022.
St. Louis will likely be trading some players in the next few weeks leading up to the deadline. They have two relievers, JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek and one starter, Dustin May on expiring contracts, so those will likely be the players moved.
That is when the loss of Rajcic for the season will likely be felt. From there, the Cardinals will go from within the farm system to replace the departed pitchers, and not having Rajcic certainly hurts depth-wise.
Based on Jones’ report, Rajcic will likely miss most of 2027, if not the whole season. Tommy John recovery takes a long time, even longer these days because of the emphasis on velocity. But it’s safe to say that the right-hander will be out of commission for the foreseeable future.
The Cardinals season has been defined by the performances of young players and the emergence of a new core in St. Louis. That is what has kept them afloat for much of the season.
Next Steps for St. Louis Cardinals After Max Rajcic Injury
While Rajcic’s loss will be felt after trade deadline acquisitions are made, the Cardinals could at the very least bring back some quality young pitching in trades to fill out their 40-man roster and strengthen the pipeline. But they will have to go with different options at the major league level after the deadline.
The Cardinals are very likely to be sellers in the next few weeks, and the deadline falls on August 3. Most, if not all of their trade chips are pitchers, so there will likely be a lot of turnover in the bullpen and likely some in the starting rotation as well.
We’ll see what the Cardinals can get back and if they can supplement their depth after Rajcic’s season came to an abrupt end.
Cardinals Lose Promising Young Pitcher to Tommy John Surgery