St. Louis Cardinals: Which Players Will Join the Roster in September?

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Sam Tuivailala, RHP

Tuivailala is currently with the big-league club, filling the void left by Trevor Rosenthal as he’s with his family following the birth of his second child on Friday. Tuivailala may be optioned back to the minors on Monday, however, as Rosenthal will rejoin the club for the beginning of their series against the Washington Nationals. If that move comes to fruition, it will be inconvenient timing for Tuivailala, who would have been one day away from sticking with the major-league team for the rest of the season, but if optioned will be required to stay with Memphis until their season ends on September 7. Once he’s ultimately recalled, though, the fireballing righthander should get some quality opportunities and may be a candidate for the Cardinals’ playoff bullpen, depending on how guys like Matt Belisle and Steve Cishek perform over the rest of the season. Tuivailala, who was unscored upon during seven appearances in his previous big-league stint from July 11 to July 28, seems to have really developed into a major-league quality reliever, and it would be surprising if he didn’t start next season as part of the big-league bullpen, so this will be a good opportunity for him to get just a bit more experience before he moves into a full-time role.

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