RHP Ryan Loutos
Both Ryan Loutos and Chris Roycroft made their professional debuts this year, but Loutos has only made two appearances and pitched a total of 1.1 innings. Loutos, 25, has an even weaker case for remaining on the 40-man roster following the returns of Riley O'Brien and Steven Matz. Loutos was promoted on Wednesday, July 31st as a replacement for Chris Roycroft.
Loutos attended Washington University in St. Louis, and his career in baseball has been interesting. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by St. Louis in the 2021 draft, and his recognition in the organization wasn't for his on-field performance necessarily. What Loutos contributed primarily was via his mind off the field.
Soon after being drafted, Loutos was tasked with writing code for an app that was created to help pitchers develop throughout the minor leagues. He finally broke through on the field in 2024 after struggling throughout all levels of the minors. In 2024, Loutos has thrown 36.1 innings at Triple-A Memphis. He boasts a 1.98 ERA, 1.266 WHIP, and he's striking out 10.7 batters per nine innings at that level. Those are great numbers for a reliever.
Loutos made his MLB debut on June 1st this year, and he threw a scoreless inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. He would make one more appearance this year for the Cardinals, but he's thrown only 1.1 innings at the major league level. He stands to see some outings following his most recent promotion.
Loutos has pitched quite well this year at Triple-A, but he doesn't have the longevity that these other pitchers have on his resume. Being an undrafted free agent doesn't help his case to stay on the 40-man roster following a return to health for two other pitchers.