The St. Louis Cardinals (40-32, 2nd in NL Central) are currently taking on the Kansas City Royals. The Cardinals have been one of the biggest surprises in MLB this season on the side of ‘winning more than they were supposed to’.
Thursday starts a new series for both the Royals and Cardinals, and it’s a weird three-game weekend set in which no game will be played on Saturday. Before the Royals game, the Cardinals announced they are letting go of a three-year MLB pitcher.
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Cardinals Demote Pitcher Chris Roycroft
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 26: Chris Roycroft #58 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on September 26, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Sage Zipeto/Getty Images)
Max Rajcic was called up earlier today, and the Cardinals announced the corresponding move for that promotion is designating Chris Roycroft for assignment.
Here is the announcement for Max Rajcic’s call-up, as well.
Chris Roycroft is a 3-year MLB pitcher who has spent his career with just the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Chris Roycroft’s MLB Career
GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI РJUNE 10: Alejandro Kirk #30 of the Toronto Blue Jays scores on a wild pitch against Pedro Pag̩s #43 and Chris Roycroft #58 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium on June 10, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Chris Roycroft has pitched 5.1 innings for the Cardinals this season. In those 5+ frames, he’s given up nine earned runs, which made him the obvious candidate for being demoted when the Rajcic call was made.
Over his three-year career, Roycroft holds an ERA 6.41 over 60 innings pitched.
He’s purely been used as a reliever, and in time he’s received MLB opportunities to pitch with the Cards; it hasn’t been pretty.
It’s unclear if the Cardinals would want to recall him again if he’s just going to struggle. He stands out as a possible release candidate or potentially being traded in a minor transaction.
MLBTR.com’s Darragh McDonald wrote (after the news):
“That performance has led the Cards to push him off the roster and into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cards could take as long as five days to explore trade interest, but they could also put him on the wire sooner than that. If he were to clear waivers, he would stick around as non-roster depth.”
Looking at the Cardinals Right Now
GettyCINCINNATI, OHIO – MAY 23: Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on from the dugout following a two-run home run by Bryan Torres #39 during the ninth inning of game one of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 23, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals are probably better on paper without Chris Roycroft in the bullpen anyway.
Looking at the Cardinals right now, they are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and open up a new series against the Royals (on the road). St. Louis is 19-15 in road games this season, and the Cardinals are just 5.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for 1st place in the Central.
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