Cardinals Call Up Veteran Left-Hander Bruce Zimmermann
Cardinals Call Up Veteran Left-Hander Bruce Zimmermann
The Cardinal Chronicle
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur
The St. Louis Cardinals added a veteran left-handed arm Tuesday, selecting the contract of Bruce Zimmermann from Triple-A Memphis ahead of their doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium.
For Zimmermann, 31, the move brings him back to the major leagues and gives the Cardinals another experienced pitcher capable of working in a long relief or bulk innings role. For St. Louis, the timing is practical. A doubleheader against the first-place Brewers creates immediate pressure on the pitching staff, and the Cardinals needed length, flexibility and a fresh arm capable of covering multiple innings if needed.
Zimmermann fits that assignment.
Before his call-up, the left-hander had been pitching effectively for Memphis, going 5-3 with a 3.78 ERA, 84 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP over 78.2 innings. Those numbers are not empty Triple-A depth. They show a veteran starter who has taken the ball, covered innings and given the Redbirds a chance to win.
That matters on a day like this.
The Cardinals are in the middle of one of their most important stretches of the season, facing Milwaukee and Atlanta before the All-Star break. With a five-game series against the Brewers packed into four days, bullpen management is not a small detail. It may help decide games.
Zimmermann gives manager Oliver Marmol another option if one of the starts gets short, if the game gets away early, or if the Cardinals need someone to bridge multiple innings without burning through the rest of the bullpen.
This is not a flashy move, but it is a useful one.
Zimmermann was originally selected by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2018. A Baltimore native, he spent most of his early major-league career pitching for his hometown Orioles from 2020 to 2023. He later spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers organization before signing a minor league deal with the Cardinals in January.
His major-league career has included 39 appearances, 28 of them starts, with a 5.64 ERA across 164.1 innings. The surface numbers are not overwhelming, but the Cardinals are not asking Zimmermann to be a rotation savior. They are asking him to provide innings, stability and matchup flexibility from the left side.
There is also a roster wrinkle.
Zimmermann is out of minor league options, which makes his stay on the active roster worth watching. Once a player like that is selected to the 40-man roster, sending him back to Triple-A is not as simple as a routine option. That could make this more than just a one-day transaction, depending on how the Cardinals manage the roster after the doubleheader.
For now, the job is clear.
The Cardinals needed an experienced arm. Zimmermann had earned the look with his work at Memphis. And on a day when pitching depth will be tested, St. Louis is turning to a veteran left-hander who has already done plenty of heavy lifting in Triple-A this season.
In a perfect world, the Cardinals may not need him for much.
But doubleheaders rarely care about perfect worlds.
Bruce Zimmermann is in St. Louis because the Cardinals need innings, and if this long homestand is going to be the measuring stick many believe it is, every usable arm matters.
The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports & MiLB Today
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Photo Credit: Bruce Zimmermann, St. Louis Cardinals | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports