3 prospects the Cardinals should call up to St. Louis, 3 they should be patient with

Call up Connor Thomas

Connor Thomas is a name that some fans will likely be familiar with. After starring in the Arizona Fall League two years ago, he really struggled in 2023 and appears to be done being used as a starting pitcher by the club.

The Cardinals have acquired a lot of starting pitching depth in their minor leagues in the last calendar year, so it makes sense to transition Thomas into a reliever role, especially if he can hone in as either a left-handed specialist or an arm that can provide multi-inning stints in relief.

With Zack Thompson, Andre Pallante, and John King struggling out of the bullpen in St. Louis this year, the Cardinals have had to rely on JoJo Romero and Matthew Liberatore as their left-handed relievers. And before you say Andre Pallante is right-handed, I know, but he's used against left-handers frequently due to his reverse splits.

With JoJo Romero's high-leverage usage being so important for the club, having a third left-handed option wouldn't be a bad idea. Connor Thomas may be the guy to step into that role next.

So far this year, Thomas has appeared in 9 games, throwing 15 innings with 15 strikeouts while posting a 2.40 ERA. Giving him a shot at a role in the bullpen in low-leverage spots may be worth seeing what happens.