St. Louis Cardinals Recall P Tyler Lyons, Option IF Greg Garcia

After a disastrous Sunday start from righthander Justin Masterson which strained the bullpen, the St. Louis Cardinals have recalled lefthander Tyler Lyons from Triple-A Memphis to provide additional relief if needed. Lyons, who is 0-3 with a 5.46 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in seven games (including four starts) this season, will be starting his third stint with the big-league club this year.  He’ll pair with lefty Nick Greenwood, who threw 3.1 innings yesterday, to provide long relief. With the Cardinals starting their three most solid starters over the next three games (John Lackey, Lance Lynn, and Adam Wainwright), the hope is that they won’t need to use either of the two for extended innings.

It’s not completely clear as to why the Cardinals chose to send Garcia back to Springfield instead of his previous spot in Memphis, but it may be so they don’t disrupt the rhythm of the playoff-bound Memphis Redbirds. By sending Garcia to the closer Double-A affiliate, it makes it easier for them to recall him come September 1 and restore their bench to the standard size. With him gone, they’ll have to rely on Daniel Descalso to be the primary backup at all the infield positions for the time being and provide any necessary depth on the infield over the next week.