Struggling Cardinals rookie hits the IL as club looks to fix bullpen woes

The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen has been a mess to start the 2026 season, but help is on the way after an unfortunate injury to their rookie reliever.

Matt Pushard, who struggled mightily in his Major League debut on Sunday, was placed on the 15-day IL this afternoon with right knee patellar tendinitis, allowing the club to call up right-hander Gordon Graceffo in a corresponding move.

Matt Pushard was placed on the IL today as Cardinals recall Gordon Graceffo to aid their bullpen.

Per Major League Baseball's rules, the Cardinals were unable to shake up their bullpen mix early in the season by using a player's options, as players assigned to the minor leagues to start the year have to spend a minimum of 10 days there if they are a position player and 15 days if they are a pitcher. But because Pushard landed on the injured list, the Cardinals are able to call up Graceffo earlier.

The Cardinals acquired Pushard this offseason in the Rule 5 draft from the Miami Marlins, and he ended up making their Opening Day roster after a strong finish to the spring. Pushard allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in his inning of work on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, a theme that has followed most of the Cardinals bullpen in their first four contests.

The Cardinals bullpen has a 7.94 ERA as a unit in 17 innings of work, and while some of that has certainly been due to batted ball luck going against them, they have clearly not been as sharp as they need to be thus far. The Cardinals are lucky not to be 0-4 at this point because of that unit's struggles.

Graceffo had a strong camp for St. Louis, allowing zero runs in his two outings, but spent most of his time with Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic. In 2025, Graceffo posted a 6.28 ERA in 43 innings (26 appearances), often being looked toward to provide innings out of the bullpen. In 14 of his 26 appearances, Graceffo was used for multiple innings, with four of those going even longer than two innings.

Graceffo is a former highly touted prospect from the Cardinals system who the club believes can be impactful as a reliever moving forward. His velocity seems to play up in those situations, and the club could use him in a number of different roles as the season goes on. He'll like start out in low-leverage situations or provide long relief, but that role could grow with success.