Cardinals Place JoJo Romero On Injured List

The Cardinals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Scott Blewett. He takes the active roster spot of left-hander JoJo Romero, who has been placed on the 15-day injured list with appendicitis, retroactive to July 14. Catcher Yohel Pozo has been designated for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Blewett.

Romero, 29, has been in trade rumors for quite a while. The Cards have been retooling in recent years as he has been nearing free agency, slated to hit the open market after this season. Though the Cards shipped out various other players in the most recent offseason, it seems they never got an offer to their liking on Romero, so he stayed in St. Louis.

That sets him up to be a trade candidate this summer, though that’s perhaps a bit complicated now by this IL placement, which will last until very close to the deadline even if it’s a minimal stint. Injured players can still be traded but it can obviously impact a player’s appeal if he misses time. The Cards aren’t even clear sellers anymore, as they are only a game back of a playoff spot at the moment, so it’s hard to say how motivated they are to move Romero.

He’s having a decent season on the whole. He has already logged 43 innings out of the St. Louis bullpen with a 3.35 earned run average. His 23.1% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate are both close to average while his 48.3% ground ball rate is several ticks better than par. That has generally been his career profile, as he now has 235 2/3 innings under his belt with a 3.51 ERA, 22.9% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate and 52.7% grounder rate.

It’s a bit of a blow for the Cards to lose him, as they now have Justin Bruihl as their only southpaw reliever on the big league roster. Bruihl is having an okay campaign, with a 3.55 ERA in 46 2/3 innings, but he’s a soft-tosser with a low-90s fastball and 15.2% strikeout rate this year.

For now, they’ll add in another righty in Blewett. He signed a minor league deal with the club in the offseason. It was reported earlier this week that he had triggered an opt-out clause in that pact. His results in Triple-A don’t immediately jump off the page, as he posted a 5.18 ERA in 48 2/3 innings. However, a massive .425 batting average on balls in play was responsible for some of that. His 28.4% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 44.4% ground ball rate were all average or better figures.

It seems the combination of his opt-out clause and the appendicitis for Romero will get Blewett another shot in the big leagues. He already has 72 2/3 innings under his belt with a 4.21 ERA, 19.3% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and 45.9% ground ball rate. If things don’t work out this time, Blewett is out of options.

The pitching swap will lead to Pozo losing his roster spot. The backstop has been a depth option for the Cards for over a year now. He was added to the roster in April of 2025. He was non-tendered at the end of that season but was re-signed in November. He is considered a solid defender but has hit just .233/.259/.358 in 201 plate appearances for the Cards. He has generally hit better in Triple-A but is slumping this year, with a .229/.256/.386 line at that level.

St. Louis has enviable catching depth. They are currently deploying a three-catcher setup in the big leagues. Iván Herrera is splitting his time between the catcher position and the designated hitter slot. When he’s DHing, Jimmy Crooks and/or Pedro Pagés put on the pads. They have Leo Bernal on optional assignment in Triple-A and then Rainiel Rodriguez, one of the best catching prospects in the league, at Double-A.

Given that picture, Pozo was fairly expendable, but he may have value to another club. As mentioned, he’s a solid defender. He hasn’t hit much in the bigs but slashed .321/.343/.545 at Triple-A from 2021 to 2025. He hasn’t been hitting that much this year but it’s a decent profile and he has a full slate of options. Clubs in need of catching depth would surely have interest. DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cards could take as long as five days to field trade interest.