The St. Louis Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries over the past week. Two starting pitchers have landed on the injured list. In a span of a couple hours, St. Louis was forced to place both Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins on the IL.
The Cardinals are now left scrambling for a fifth starter to get them through the rest of the year and to cover innings while they wait for Pallante to come back. He shouldn’t be out too much longer, but it’s still a blow to the pitching staff.
However, Fangraphs’ list of probable starters has a replacement that could be lined up to take the rotation spot. Prospect Cooper Hjerpe is listed as Thursday’s starter for their series finale against the Baltimore Orioles.
St. Louis Cardinals Might Have Fifth Starter Lined Up
The Cardinals selected Hjerpe in the first round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Oregon State. The left-hander has dealt with various injuries since being selected by St. Louis but has finally gotten healthy and is an option to take the rotation spot while St. Louis waits for Pallante to return.
The 25-year-old has made 14 starts in the minor leagues this year and has posted an 0-1 record and a 3.08 ERA in those appearances. The Cardinals have a lot of pitching depth in the minor league system, but most of their arms are not quite major league ready. Richard Fitts is the only other pitcher that is major league ready, and he is out for the season with a lat injury.
So, their best option might be to go with Hjerpe. Though it’s not officially confirmed that he is going to be their starter on Thursday, he is certainly an option, and he is somebody that Cardinals fans have been excited about for quite some time.
A fifth starter is something the Cardinals desperately need right now to cover innings. Their bullpen was taxed heavily over their most recent road trip, so finding a way to alleviate some of that pressure could help them sort things out for the remainder of the season.
Their options internally don’t exactly inspire much confidence, but they’re going to have to figure something out. They could throw a bullpen game on Thursday, but that might be risky given how significantly it was taxed over the weekend in Philadelphia. It remains to be seen what the Cardinals will actually do, but Hjerpe is an option.
St. Louis Cardinals Might Have Other Options to Fill Rotation
Another thing St. Louis could do is add a free agent starting pitcher. The options aren’t great there either, but they are desperate to fill the spot. Former Cardinal Miles Mikolas was released by the Washington Nationals earlier this month, and Michael Lorenzen was cut loose by the Colorado Rockies.
The Cardinals aren’t exactly contending for a playoff spot, so it’s not like they’re going to get somebody that’s well-established, especially since the trade deadline has passed. But they need to find a way to cover the rotation spot for a week.
Cardinals Might Have Fifth Starter Replacement Lined Up