The St. Louis Cardinals made a quiet but interesting move Tuesday, sending right-handed reliever Chris Roycroft to the Tampa Bay Rays. The return is a player to be named later or cash. It’s not a blockbuster by any means, but it’s a move that tells you something about where both teams are right now.
Roycroft, 28, has had a brutal 2026. In seven appearances, his ERA is 15.19. He gave up three earned runs in just over an inning against the Padres in his last outing on June 17. For the season, he’s been tagged for nine earned runs. That’s a lot for a guy who hasn’t even pitched 10 innings yet.
He’s not a total unknown. Roycroft pitched at least 20 games for the Cardinals in both 2024 and 2025. His best season was 2024, when he appeared in a career-high 31 games and posted a 4.15 ERA. He’s got two career wins in the big leagues. But this year has been a different story. His command has been off. The stuff hasn’t translated. And St. Louis decided it was time to move on.
A Surprise Season in St. Louis
Here’s the thing about the Cardinals this year: they’re good. Not just “maybe they’ll sneak into the wild card” good. They’re 42-34 and sitting second in the NL Central. That’s a surprise to a lot of people, because St. Louis traded away a bunch of veterans last offseason. They were supposed to be in a soft rebuild. Instead, they’re winning with young players.
One of those young players is JJ Wetherholt. On Sunday against the Royals, he hit home runs in back-to-back innings. That’s the first time a Cardinals player has done that in five years. The kid is 22 and already looking like a building block. The Cardinals don’t need a 15 ERA in their bullpen right now, and they clearly felt they could move on without losing anything critical.
The Rays Are Doing Their Thing
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is also having a good season. They’re 43-32 and sitting second in the AL East. The Rays are famous for picking up underperforming pitchers and fixing them. Roycroft has the raw stuff — mid-90s fastball, a decent slider — that Tampa has turned around before. It’s a low-risk gamble. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, they’re out a minor league player or some cash.
The Cardinals host the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. The Rays face the Royals. Neither team is making a huge splash here, but for a Tuesday in June, it’s a reminder that both organizations are in a position to think about the playoffs already. And sometimes that means moving on from a guy who just hasn’t found it yet.
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