St. Louis Cardinals: Kim to return to rotation Saturday

The return of Kwang Hyun Kim looms for the St. Louis Cardinals and that means a shakeup to the rotation.

After throwing two simulated games, Kim is scheduled to join the rotation on Saturday. His return shifts Daniel Ponce de Leon to the bullpen rather than to the minors, given that he is out of options and would be exposed on waivers. He was available to pitch as soon as Tuesday, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The return of Kim is significant for the Cardinals and comes at a time in which the team desperately needs another starting pitcher. The team has heavily relied upon it’s bullpen early this season, something manager Mike Shildt has called an “unsustainable method,” and adding Kim gives them much-needed depth and can take some pressure off the bullpen.

Of course, it is highly unlikely the Cardinals ask Kim to eat significant innings early on. Rather, the team will likely limit him to 5-6 innings to start and build him up rather than put too much on his plate. It’s a philosophy most teams have adopted this season, but the Cardinals would be smart to ease Kim into action.

But Kim gives the Cardinals a left-handed arm that can provide a different look from Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright. Most importantly, however, he gives them another dependable option in a rotation that entered the season with question marks.

While we don’t know just how effective Kim can be, the reports from his simulated games were positive. He is clearly 100 percent healthy. His stuff was said to be crisp. And he threw nearly a full workload in his last outing, suggesting he will be ready to start as soon as Saturday.

Slowly but surely, the Cardinals are getting their roster back together. Harrison Bader and Miles Mikolas are still working their way back, but the Kim addition is extremely important for the state of their rotation.