The Cardinals may have more bullpen shuffling ahead after Ryne Stanek left Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Brewers following a hard collision at first base.
The play came in the seventh inning when Milwaukee third baseman Joey Ortiz tried to beat out a bunt. Ortiz ran through the bag and slammed into Cardinals second baseman Bryan Torres, while Stanek was also arriving at first after diving to cover the bag on a throw from first baseman Alec Burleson. All three players got to first at the same time, and while Torres and Ortiz took most of the contact, Stanek ended up on the ground after his dive.
Trainers checked on Stanek, but he could not continue and was forced out of the game.
The timing adds another layer to a Cardinals bullpen that was already getting reshaped Tuesday. The Brewers optioned Ryan Fernandez and moved Max Rajcic to the 60-Day Injured List, while reports also surfaced that Luis Gastelum is headed to the big leagues, though that move had not been made official at the time of writing.
If Stanek has to miss time, Gastelum would be the obvious next option once his promotion is finalized. The Cardinals would still need to clear a roster spot, and there was speculation Tuesday that Bruce Zimmermann could be designated for assignment to make that happen.
For now, the Cardinals are waiting on an update after Stanek’s apparent leg injury. That status will determine the next move, and the club is already thin enough in the bullpen without losing another arm.
If Stanek is sidelined, Hunter Dobbins looks like a logical call. He was up as the team’s 27th man for Tuesday’s doubleheader, and the idea would be to slide him into the bullpen and give St. Louis another steady option.
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