The book closes on the Dylan Carlson trade (already) as Cardinals DFA Shawn Armstrong
Riley O’Brien was promoted to the big-league roster in a corresponding move Tuesday.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The pitcher acquired by the Cardinals from Tampa Bay in exchange for Dylan Carlson has been designated for assignment less than a month after the deal.
The club announced Tuesday that it has designated for assignment right-handed reliever Shawn Armstong after picking him up ahead of the trade deadline on July 30.
Armstrong made 11 appearances for the Cardinals, recording a 1-0 record with a 2.84 ERA in 12.2 innings. His usage mostly resembled low-leverage situations as Oli Marmol opted to lean on his customary relievers at the back end of his bullpen rather than incorporate Armstrong very heavily into the high-leverage mix.
The move comes in time for Armstrong to potentially land with a postseason contender ahead of the roster deadline at the end of the month. Armstrong will go on waivers and could be claimed by any MLB team that wants to agree to pay his salary for the remainder of the season.
His total salary for 2024 checks in at just a shade above $2 million, with only the final month or so of that bill remaining for an interested party. If anyone bites on Armstrong through the waiver process, the Cardinals would be off the hook for that remaining salary—an interesting footnote to this conversation as St. Louis slides to the periphery of the NL Wild Card chase.
Cash savings was arguably not the lone justification for this move, however, as the Cardinals are using the roster spot previously occupied by Armstrong to learn more about a relief arm that the team held in high regard before an early-season injury derailed his campaign.
The Cardinals promoted Riley O’Brien to to the active roster in a corresponding move to Armstrong’s removal.
O’Brien, 29, ed the Cardinals in an off-season trade with Seattle. He impressed team brass in spring training to earn a spot in the opening day bullpen. A strikeout of Shohei Ohtani in his first and only appearance of the season showed O’Brien’s potential, but a flexor tendon strain saw him miss several months before he began a rehab assignment in late July.
After completing his rehab, the Cardinals optioned O’Brien to Triple-A officially, allowing him to continue working in the minors and waiting for his opportunity. That chance comes Tuesday as the Cardinals are ready to see whether his high-octane stuff could make a impact out of the St. Louis bullpen.
In 14 appearances for Memphis, O’Brien has posted a 1.35 ERA with nine strikeouts.
Though Armstrong was considered an underwhelming return in a Carlson deal from the moment it happened, the move has provided a fresh start for the former top prospect in his new environment. Carlson has appeared in 19 games with the Tampa Bay Rays, hitting three home runs and recording nine RBIs. He went homerless in 59 games with the Cardinals this season, driving in only 11 runs all year with St. Louis.
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