Mar 20, 2018; Jupiter, FL, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat with sunglasses sits on a glove in the dugout during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Cardinals Demote Righty To Make Room For Flamethrower

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals made yet another move on Monday to help out in the bullpen.

St. Louis has been mixing and matching the bullpen all season to this point and that has only increased since the Cardinals traded Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton away. The Cardinals have made due since then and continued to shake up the roster on Monday.

St. Louis announced that it is promoting righty Gordon Graceffo back up to the big leagues and sending Andre Granillo down to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

"RHP Gordon Graceffo has been recalled from Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Andre Granillo has been optioned to Memphis."

The Cardinals continue to get looks at young guys down the stretch

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Graceffo has appeared in 17 games at the big league level this season and has struggled to a 5.81 ERA and 26-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 innings pitched. On the bright side, he's in the 70th percentile in fastball velocity right now. He has electric stuff, but just hasn't harnessed it in the majors overall this year. He's been better in Memphis with a 3.77 ERA in 24 outings.

Granillo has pitched in 12 games at the big league level with a 4.82 ERA and 14-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 2/3 innings pitched. He's also been better down in the minors. With Memphis, he has pitched to a 1.50 ERA across 24 outings with the Redbirds.

Since the Cardinals trade Helsley, Maton, and Matz away, the bullpen has been overall a pleasant surprise. When you trade three guys of that caliber, you expect struggles to hit. Things haven't been perfect, but have been better than expected. This flip-flopping likely will continue down the stretch as the Cardinals atttempt to get looks at their young guys with eyes towards the future. The Cardinals have about five weeks to go until Chaim Bloom and a new era takes over the organization.

Is Graceffo or Granillo a piece the team can trust in the bullpen moving forward beyond 2025? We'll find out, for sure.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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