St. Louis Cardinals Recall Sam Tuivailala from Triple-A with Trevor Rosenthal on Paternity List

With closer Trevor Rosenthal missing the St. Louis Cardinals’ weekend series against the San Francisco Giants in order to attend the birth of his second child, the team filled the void on the roster by promoting relief pitcher Sam Tuivailala from Triple-A Memphis.

Though a roster spot will have to be cleared for Rosenthal when he returns to the team on Monday, Tuivailala’s recall is a precursor to him being part of the team’s bullpen in September when rosters expand. The 22-year-old was dominant in a stint earlier this season with the big-league club, pitching seven scoreless innings while allowing three hits and four walks. Tuivailala, who has touched the 100s with his fastball and is averaging 96.4 MPH this season, was much improved from a stint in late May, during which allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks through three innings.

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With the Cardinals’ bullpen one of the best in the league but still largely a work in progress, it’s highly possible that Tuivailala could end up on the Cards’ postseason roster. The team could go back to carrying 13 pitchers during the playoffs, which could open a spot for Tuivailala, or they might decide not to carry a guy like Steve Cishek, who has looked good on the stat sheet but has been somewhat inconsistent at times, in the playoffs.

It will be a deserved three days of rest for Rosenthal, who has 41 saves in 43 opportunities through 58 games this season. The fourth-year closer has a 1.52 ERA and a .217 opponent batting average for the year. Rosenthal, whose wife Lindsey will be giving birth to the couple’s second daughter, also missed a stretch of time in September 2013 after his first daughter was born.

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