The St. Louis Cardinals announced following today’s game that they have selected the contract of rookie infielder Nolan Gorman from Memphis (AAA) and placed outfielder Tyler O’Neill (right shoulder impingement) on the 10-day Injured List. The team has transferred right-handed pitcher Jack Flaherty (right shoulder) from the 10-day Injured List to the 60-day Injured List to make room for Gorman on the team’s 40-player Major League roster.
The Cardinals also announced that rookie left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore will join the team and make his Major League debut in a start on Saturday (May 21) against the Pirates.
Gorman, 22, and Liberatore, 22, rated as the #2 and #3 Cardinals prospects by Baseball America will become the sixth and seventh rookies to join the Cardinals this season.
The left-handed hitting Gorman, the Cardinals 1st round (19th payer overall) draft selection in 2018 has provided plenty of power this season, leading all Triple-A players with his 15 home runs, 2nd in all of professional baseball to the Springfield Cardinals (AA) Moises Gomez (17).
Gorman is batting .308 this season in 34 games for the Redbirds, collecting 19 extra base hits and 23 RBI for a 1.044 OPS.
Liberatore is leading Memphis with a 3.83 ERA and ranks third among Triple-A pitchers in both innings pitched (40.0) and strikeouts (46). He compiled a career-best 16.2 scoreless innings streak last month.
Liberatore will be the first Cardinals pitcher to debut in a start against the Pirates since Alan Benes in 1995 and the first lefty to do so since Ray Sadecki in 1960. Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean is another notable to have debuted against the Pirates, tossing a three-hit complete game in 1930 for the Cardinals.
