Cardinals Hurler On Brink Of Return From IL Amid Uninspiring Start To Season

A St. Louis reliever is making his return to the bullpen soon

Jul 27, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos (65) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff has performed much better than a year ago despite having to endure several injuries from key players of their arsenal.

Moving along without Steven Matz and Drew Rom has created a hole in the No. 5 spot of the rotation and losing offseason acquisition Kenyan Middleton to season-ending flexor repair surgery was a major blow to St. Louis' bullpen plans.

The latest injury update from the Cardinals' pitching staff has a hurler on the verge of returning following a stint on the injured list stretching back to early May.

"Reliever Giovanny Gallegos remains with the club here in Miami," St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Lynn Worthy reported Wednesday. "He's not active today, but could rejoin the bullpen as soon as tomorrow."

Gallegos was placed on the 15-day IL due to a right shoulder impingement following an uncharacteristically poor start to his 2024 campaign.

The 32-year-old posted a 2-1 record with a 12.00 ERA, 13-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .341 batting average against and a 2.33 WHIP in nine innings pitched throughout 13 games played for the Cardinals before being sidelined.

The right-handed pitcher has been pitching in the minors between Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield for his rehab assignment but he's also struggled there.

The Mexican-born reliever has given up eight earned runs with five strikeouts, four walks and a .333 batting average against in 6 1/3 innings pitched in the Cardinals' farm system this season.

It's tough to feel excited about Gallegos returning to the bullpen when he's posted such disappointing numbers this season -- even in the minors. Hopefully, he will figure it out when he returns to St. Louis but it doesn't look like he's on the trajectory to do that anytime soon.

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