Tyler Lyons Set to Return to St. Louis Cardinals This Week
Tyler Lyons is rejoining the Cardinals this week, and that will force them to make a tough cut from their bullpen.
As MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch tweeted Monday afternoon following a media scrum with St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, lefthanded reliever Tyler Lyons is expected to rejoin the big-league club this week. Though he pitched in two Grapefruit League games this spring, the Cardinals determined that Lyons had more work to do in his rehab from offseason knee surgery, so he began the season on the 10-day disabled list.
Lyons has been dominant over a three-game rehab stint with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Over 14 innings, the lefty has a 1.29 ERA and 0.93 WHIP while striking out 14 and walking just two batters. He’ll provide some much-needed versatility in the Cardinals’ bullpen, as he has the ability to pitch multiple innings and challenge tough lefty hitters.
Lyons’ return will present a challenge for Mozeliak, who will almost certainly have to designate one of his relievers for assignment.
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The only relievers on the team who are allowed to be optioned are Seung-hwan Oh, Kevin Siegrist, and Matt Bowman, and it’s safe to say none of those three are going anywhere. Unless José Martínez or Matt Adams is optioned and the Cardinals cut down to a four-man bench upon Lyons’ arrival, they’ll have to expose a veteran pitcher to waivers.
Jonathan Broxton, who has a 4.69 ERA since the beginning of the 2014 season, is probably the most worthy candidate to be designated for assignment when Lyons is activated. However, the Cardinals may feel that 30-year-old Miguel Socolovich, who has spent most of his career in the minor leagues, is the most expendable pitcher in the ‘pen after he allowed five earned runs while failing to record an out in Sunday night’s loss to the Yankees.
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Socolovich is out of options, but after his meltdown on national TV, now may be the time when he’s most likely to pass through waivers. That’d be extremely tough luck, however, for the reliever who has posted a 1.89 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP in 47 2/3 big-league innings over the past couple seasons.