Cardinals News: St. Louis options Johan Oviedo to alternate site

The St. Louis Cardinals have optioned Johan Oviedo the alternate site. While it may not be a popular decision, there is logic behind the move.

With Major League Baseball shifting from a 60 to 162-game season, teams entered the season understanding that depth and fresh arms would be at a premium. The St. Louis Cardinals, knowing this, still did not add any outside arms, instead deciding to rely on the internal depth that the front office and coaching staff is high on.

Johan Oviedo, one of those players they are excited about, recently threw 4.2 shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the Cardinals optioned him to the alternate site and called up pitcher Kodi Whitley.

Why?

The answer, quite simply, is that Whitley is a fresh arm and that Oviedo can be called up soon when he is ready to pitch in games again. It’s likely the first of many times this happens this season with any pitcher as the Cardinals look for fresh arms. They have had their bullpen pitch more innings than their starters and manager Mike Shildt told reporters, including Katie Woo of The Athletic, that it is “not a sustainable method.”

Hence the move to bring in a fresh arm. Whitley, like Oviedo, is one of the Cardinals’ top pitching prospects and will be able to eat multiple innings out of the bullpen. And with Kwang-hyun Kim almost ready to rejoin the rotation, Oviedo can return to the team capable of pitching in long relief, giving them yet another arm to eat innings.

So while the Oviedo move will not be popular, at least on paper, there is logic behind it. It’s simply a way of the Cardinals preserving him while having a pitcher capable of pitching multiple innings ready at their disposal.