Cardinals Swap Out Bullpen Arms with Rondon and Fornataro

The St. Louis Cardinals made a roster move before Sunday’s game in Los Angeles, recalling righthanded reliever Jorge Rondon from Triple-A Memphis and sending back reliever Eric Fornataro, who had been recalled prior to the team’s series in Colorado which began Monday.

The Cardinals wanted extra bullpen coverage following a 9-1 loss which was soaked up by Fornataro and fellow reliever Nick Greenwood on Saturday, and Rondon was the other remaining bullpen arm on the 40-man roster. This will be the third stint of the year with the major-league club for Rondon, though he has yet to make his MLB debut. The hard-throwing 26-year-old has been on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster since November of 2012 without making a big-league appearance.

The 26-year-old Fornataro gave up two runs (one earned) in his two innings yesterday, which was his only appearance during his second stint of the year with the big-league club. He figures to get another shot at some point later on in the season, since he and lefthanded starter Tyler Lyons are the only healthy pitchers on the 40-man roster who are not currently with the big-league club.