ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals have promoted pitcher Kevin Siegrist from Triple-A Memphis. The Cardinals recalled Siegrist on Thursday and optioned pitcher Maikel Cleto to Memphis. Siegrist was picked as the Cardinals’ best minor league pitcher in May. The left-handed reliever went 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA at Triple-A and Double-A. The Cardinals began the day with the best record in the majors. Siegrist becomes the 22nd pitcher they’ve had on their roster this season.
Manager Mike Matheny said Siegrist was called up in part because St. Louis travels to Cincinnati for a three-game series starting Friday. The Reds have several left-handed bats and the Cardinals wanted a second lefty in the bullpen, along with Randy Choate.