The St. Louis Cardinals announced prior to tonight’s game that they have recalled right-handed pitcher John Gant from Memphis (AAA) and given right-handed pitcher Jonathan Broxton his unconditional release.
Gant, 24, was acquired by the Cardinals along with two other players (RHP Chris Ellis and INF Luke Dykstra) in a trade last December from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitcher Jaime Garcia. Gant began the 2017 on the disabled list (right groin strain) before joining the Memphis roster on May 16.
In three starts for the Triple-A Redbirds, Gant was 0-1 with a 2.19 ERA, allowing three runs in 12.1 innings pitched while striking out 11. He made his most recent start on May 27, working 5.0 IP against the Iowa Cubs.
Gant, who made his Major League debut with the Braves last season, owns a career mark of 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 20 games (7 starts) with 49 strikeouts in 50.0 innings pitched.
A Florida native, Gant was drafted by the New York Mets in 2011 (21st round) before being traded to the Atlanta organization in July of 2015. The 6-4, 193-pound right-hander wears uniform no. 53.
Broxton, 32, was 0-1 with a 6.89 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Cardinals this season. The two-time National League All-Star (2009 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Dodgers) owns a career mark of 43-38 with a 3.41 ERA and 118 saves in 694 games pitched. He’d been a member of the Cardinals since being acquired in a July 31, 2015 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.
