Cardinals finally bring in reinforcements to aid struggling bullpen

The loss against the Milwaukee Brewers must have been the final straw to break the camel's back. After blowing what would have been a big win to open the series, the St. Louis Cardinals have finally brought a new arm in to help the bullpen. Reported by Jeff Jones early Tuesday morning, righty Luis Gastelum will be promoted to the 40-man and active roster.

The Cardinals bullpen has been at the forefront of fan frustration since the first week of the season, and another blown victory made the problem too big to ignore. After Ryan Fernandez struggled and the bullpen had a heavy workload over the weekend, all signs pointed towards Gastelum getting the call to prove himself, but also save a bullpen on life support.

Luis Gastelum brings plenty of excitement to the Cardinals bullpen

While a 26-man roster move has yet to be announced, Gastelum will slot right into the later inning role in the bullpen. With Justin Bruihl and Gordon Graceffo covering plenty of innings along with the lefty looking shaken up after his latest appearance, Oli Marmol needed someone available for the doubleheader and the rest of the first half. Matt Svanson has continued to struggle despite the team's confidence in him, so Gastelum could become an immediate difference-maker.

The right-handed Gastelum more than deserves his shot, and it comes at a great time. After stringing together some solid campaigns over the past few seasons, this year has been even better. With a 7-1 record and 2.27 ERA in relief, the 24-year-old was waiting for his moment that finally came. Gastelum is in the midst of a scoreless stretch that goes all the way back into the middle of May, and his dominance has not gone unnoticed.

Before last night's game, Redbird Farmhands joined me on Cardinals on My Time, and he candidly said that Gastelum is the answer to the St. Louis bullpen. Lo and behold, less than 12 hours later, Farmhands' hunch was proved correct. With a depleted and inconsistent relief corps, it is very possible that Gastelum will be tested early in his big league career. JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien went unused in the loss, so they should be available for the doubleheader alongside George Soriano. That trio, along with Gastelum, should provide some confidence heading into Tuesday's twin bill if the Cardinals can hold a lead.

This is unlikely to be a short-term audition for Gastelum, as he is looking to get an extended evaluation from the major league staff. If he can prove to be a go-to arm with a lead later in games, the pressure could be off of Chaim Bloom to make additions to the bullpen at the trade deadline. I would also hope that Gastelum's promotion is the first of many coming from the Cardinals' system, as the second half of the year promises opportunity for more prospects to debut.

If and when Gastelum continues to dominate hitters, the rest of the bullpen could be stabilized with Matt Svanson taking on the garbage innings role rather than having to come in and protect a lead. This would be a low-stress way to figure out what Svanson needs to do to get back to his 2025 self.

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