Healthy Kittredge hopes return to form is in the Cards

JUPITER, Fla. -- Once the 1,360th player selected in the 2008 MLB Draft and someone who needed seven Minor League seasons and four years at the big league level to establish himself, Andrew Kittredge was admittedly in awe in 2021 when he was in the same clubhouse with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and other megastars at the MLB All-Star Game at Coors Field.

Even though he was a last-minute injury replacement for the Midsummer Classic, Kittredge seemingly had it all, and he found himself at the pinnacle of a long and winding baseball career. To make the All-Star experience even more magical, he threw a scoreless 1-2-3 seventh inning to help the American League to a 5-2 win.

Less than a year after that career accomplishment, Kittredge saw everything that he had worked for in the game ripped away -- coincidentally, in a June 7, 2022, game against the Cardinals. It was on that day that he not only blew a save, but he had pain in his right elbow so intense that he couldn’t fully straighten his arm the next day. Within days, it was announced that Kittredge would need ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow that would not only end his season, but also rob him of some of the joy of having made it to the top of his profession.

“Down the stretch that first year [in 2022 following Tommy John surgery], I’m doing these same monotonous exercises, and then I go to the park and watch my team compete and I can’t contribute -- and that was really hard,” Kittredge said. “Mentally, it was just a roller coaster. I know it’s cliché, but there’s times where it feels like it’s flying by and there are times when a day feels like a month. You feel [isolated] and you know there’s nothing you’re going to do to contribute in any way.”

Flash forward to 2024, after Kittredge was forced to spend major chunks of the 2022 and ’23 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he’s hoping he can recapture the All-Star form with the Cardinals that he had years earlier. St. Louis dealt reserve outfielder Richie Palacios to the Rays on Jan. 5 for the right-hander who the Cards hope can solidify their bullpen.

Kittredge, now 33, returned to the mound on Aug. 18 last season and pitched a scoreless inning against the Angels for a save in his first game since that ill-fated game against the Cardinals. Pitching well down the stretch last season and throwing a scoreless inning in the postseason for the Rays showed teams that the former All-Star was close to regaining his form from 2021 and early in the '22 season. What it also did was give Kittredge the peace of mind that his arm problems from the past were behind him.

“That was huge for me in the recovery from the surgery, getting back into games, feeling that adrenaline again and feeling that atmosphere of a packed Major League stadium,” said Kittredge, who retired new teammates Matt Carpenter, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt in a live batting practice session on Tuesday. “Mentally, physically, it took me a couple of weeks to get rolling [at the end of last season]. But down the stretch, I was throwing well, made the playoff roster and got into a game. That was important, for me, to get back into games and not have to wait through another offseason.”

Something of a late-bloomer, Kittredge saw everything come together for him in 2021 with the Rays when he was used in a variety of roles. He started four games and finished 15 others. While making at least one appearance in each of the nine innings, Kittredge racked up a 9-3 record, a 1.88 ERA, seven holds and eight saves.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is hoping Kittredge can find that kind of form and help a bullpen that converted just 36 of 64 save opportunities in 2023.

“He’s very low key, but when you engage him in conversation, he’s awesome,” Marmol said. “Andrew’s been around, and he really understands the game. He’s a student of it and it’ll be fun to watch him this spring. He’s healthy now and we think we’re going to get a really good version of him.”

Kittredge thought the Rays might move him this offseason, so he wasn’t that shocked to be traded. Because the Spokane, Wash., native knew little about St. Louis upon getting dealt, he immediately called former Tampa Bay teammate Michael Wacha, a Redbirds mainstay from 2013-19. Already, Kittredge is excited about pitching in front of Busch Stadium’s massive crowds.

“If you ask anyone, packed stadiums are what you want to pitch in front of, because the adrenaline comes natural and you don’t have to force yourself to get excited,” Kittredge said. “I’m excited to pitch in front of a packed house in St. Louis every night.”