By Chris Brown / STL Baseball Today | @cbrown_STLBBT | July 26, 2016, 1:24 pm CT
By Keith Allison / CC Image
Just over a month after he was removed from the role he’d held since late 2013, Trevor Rosenthal now finds himself on the sidelines dealing with an injury.
The Cardinals placed the former closer on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday due to right shoulder (rotator cuff) inflammation, recalling left-hander Dean Kiekhefer from AAA Memphis to take his spot on the 25-man roster.
Rosenthal, 26, was pulled from the closer’s role in late June after posting a 5.63 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, and walking 21 batters over his first 24 innings. Since his demotion from the job, the hard-throwing right-hander has continued to struggle, surrendering seven runs over his last 9 1/3 innings pitched.
As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted, the Cardinals had previously claimed that Rosenthal was healthy, although it stands to reason that this injury could have affected his performance for some period of time.
It was not immediately clear how long Rosenthal could be sidelined.
Kiekhefer made his Major League debut on May 14 against the Dodgers, and has pitched in 11 games this season at the big-league level, surrendering seven earned runs on 12 hits while striking out nine batters. At AAA Memphis this year, the 27-year-old has pitched to a 2.00 ERA across 27 frames.
The Cardinals also announced early Tuesday afternoon that right-hander Sam Tuivailala was recalled from Memphis to serve as the club’s 26th man for their doubleheader in New York. He will be available only for the second game of the doubleheader.
More from STL Baseball Today:
Cooney to undergo season-ending surgery; Cards patient with Pena and Walden
Carpenter nearing rehab assignment, could be activated by August 2
