Cardinals Important Duo Making Progress In Recovery Showing Return Is Near

It sounds like the Cardinals could get a major boost in the near future

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are starting to look like many expected them to and they're not even at full strength yet.

St. Louis has won six of its last eight games and is showing some life. The Cardinals' starting rotation has been steady all season but the offense is starting to pick up. St. Louis' bullpen also has taken a step forward and it could get even better soon as both Keynan Middleton and Giovanny Gallegos have been making progress in their injury recoveries, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.

"Keynan Middleton and Giovanny Gallegos continue to progress," Woo said. "Middleton will throw back-to-back Wednesday and Thursday, Gallegos will throw his third bullpen tomorrow and could start a rehab assignment after that."

Middleton was the Cardinals' top free-agent addition to the bullpen this past offseason but he hasn't appeared in a game yet this season. He shined last season with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees and logged a 3.38 ERA in 51 appearances to go along with a 64-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Gallegos has been a fixture in the Cardinals' bullpen over the last six-plus seasons and has appeared in just 13 games so far this season. He struggled in the small sample size but has a career 3.53 ERA so it wouldn't be surprising to see him turn things around once he returns.

St. Louis still has a lot of work to do to get back to .500, but it sounds like it could get a significant boost for the bullpen soon.

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