The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s series opener in New York that they have purchased veteran right-handed pitcher Jerome Williams from Memphis (AAA).
In order to make room for Williams on its 40-man Major League roster, the Cardinals have transferred right-handed pitcher Jordan Walden (right shoulder) to the 60-day disabled list. The team optioned rookie pitcher Mike Mayers to Memphis following last night’s game.
Williams, 34, was signed by the Cardinals to a minor league contract in June. He was 5-3 with a 4.89 ERA in nine starts (57.0 IP) for the Triple-A Redbirds, allowing just 15 walks while fanning 34.
The 6-3, 260-pound Williams is a veteran of 10 seasons in the majors with a career mark of 52-66, 4.57 ERA in 225 games (149 games started). He was 4-12 in 33 games (21 starts) for Philadelphia last season.
Williams, a native of Hawaii, was the San Francisco Giants 1st round draft pick in 1999. He debuted with San Francisco in 2003 and has had career stints with the Giants (2003-05), Chicago Cubs (2005-06), Washington (2007), Los Angeles Angels (2011-13), Houston (2014), Texas (2014) and Philadelphia (2014-15). Williams pitched in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in 2010.
Williams has been assigned uniform no. 38.
