Helsley gets 'best-case' news; Cabrera recalled
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NEW YORK -- A right-shoulder impingement has landed Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley on the 10-day injured list, and a thinning pitching staff has brought back Génesis Cabrera to the Major Leagues after being sent down to Triple-A Memphis with homework.
But manager Mike Shildt doesn’t expect Helsley to be down for long. After meeting with Dr. George Paletta on Thursday morning in New York, the right-hander will get an anti-inflammatory. If Helsley responds well to that, he should be able to play catch at the 10-day mark. If he doesn’t respond well, he’ll need an injection, which would set him back.
“Best-case [scenario], out of what we were looking at last night,” manager Mike Shildt said.
Helsley, who has a 3.48 ERA in seven big league appearances this year, was injured during the sixth inning of Wednesday’s 9-0 loss to the Marlins. His velocity was down on his fastball, which raised concern for Shildt and catcher Yadier Molina.
"It's not really painful, I just couldn't really get loose," said Helsley, 24, on Wednesday night. "Obviously my velo was down a little bit, which always raises concerns. [I'll] take a couple days off and go from there."
Helsley, St. Louis' ninth-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, had shoulder problems last year, but it’s unknown if it’s related.
“The impingement is a little different,” Shildt said. “He’s got a history there, so can’t say it’s unrelated, but I can’t say it’s specific to last year.”
As for Cabrera, the left-hander will be available out of the bullpen for now. The Cardinals still have to decide who will step in for Adam Wainwright’s turn on Wednesday, as Wainwright (left hamstring strain) won’t be activated off the of 10-day injured list in time. Daniel Ponce de Leon will make the start Saturday in New York in Wainwright’s absence, but the Cardinals are still weighing who to look to long-term.
Shildt said Cabrera looks “favorable” after being sent down to Memphis to work on not tipping his pitches, which is what the Cardinals believed happened in Cabrera’s start against the Reds on June 4. In his second Major League start, Cabrera gave up eight hits and three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He didn’t generate one swing-and-miss in 95 pitches.
In his start Sunday against Memphis, Cabrera allowed six hits and one run in five innings while striking out eight.
“In this league, there’s always something to correct, something we’re paying attention to,” Shildt said. “We stayed mindful of him, just like all the guys, to make sure we’re not giving anything away.”
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Cards ink 2nd-round Draft pick
Center fielder Trejyn Fletcher, the highest-drafted Maine high school position player, officially signed with the Cardinals, who chose Fletcher in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
According to MLB.com’s Jim Callis, the Cardinals signed Fletcher for $1.5 million. The value for the No. 58 pick was $1,224,300. Fletcher was committed to Vanderbilt at the time of the Draft, so it was expected to take a little extra to sign him. But the Cardinals were confident from the start that they could convince the potential 20-homer, 20-steal outfielder with raw athletic ability to sign.
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Among other signings, third-rounder Tony Locey, a right-hander out of Georgia and one of the hardest-throwing college starters in the Draft, signed for $604,800, the full value at the 96th pick, according to Callis. The Cardinals also signed Florida Atlantic catcher Pedro Pages (sixth round) for $250,000. The value for the 185th pick was $261,600.