Major League Baseball

St. Louis Cardinals: Trevor Rosenthal to Open Season on Disabled List

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:40 p.m. ET

Fansided, Andrew Schmid/FanSided via Call to the Pen

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Trevor Rosenthal will begin the season on the disabled list after straining his right lateral muscle.

According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, Trevor Rosenthal of the St. Louis Cardinals will begin the season on the disabled list with a right lat strain. In his place, Sam Tuivailala will serve on the active roster.

The most recent development is certainly a major setback for the St. Louis Cardinals, whom injuries have hampered thus far. Alex Reyes, John Gant, and Tyler Lyons are all expected to open the year on the disabled list as well, seriously chewing into their bullpen depth.

As Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors writes, this injury is not a new problem for Rosenthal. A similar issue arose earlier in spring training, but its magnitude was not quite as severe. He was still able to prepare for the season and most expected him to open the season with the team.

For the right-handed pitcher, a strong 2017 would go a long way towards re-establishing himself as a dominant force in the major leagues. Last season saw Rosenthal struggle quite a bit, as he allowed quite a few runs while blowing several saves. He eventually left the closer role, and the St. Louis Cardinals even explored the option of using him as a starting pitcher this year.

This is, however, quite abnormal for the youngster. Rosenthal, who turns 27 in two months, thrived from his first glimpse of the majors back in 2012. Despite only being 22 years old, he allowed just seven runs on 14 hits in his first 23 MLB innings. Perhaps more impressively, he punched out 25 batters in that time.

Achieving a high level of success became the norm for Rosenthal. He posted another excellent season before inheriting the closer role in 2014. Armed with a blistering fastball and solid breaking pitch offerings, he completed 45 of 51 save opportunities. Once again, he continued to strikeout batters at an elite rate, although his walk rate could have used some improvement.

The following season, he managed to build on this success by cutting down on walks and increasing his strand rate. This allowed him to convert even more save opportunities while greatly aiding the St. Louis Cardinals in their playoff quest.

As things currently stand, Seung-hwan Oh will serve as the Cardinals' closer, a role that he took over last season after Rosenthal's slippage. Fortunately for the team, Oh thrived in his first MLB season, posting elite strikeout, walk, and run prevention numbers. The 36-year-old may not pack heat with his fastball, but he sure knows how to get outs. For this reason, losing Rosenthal may be bad, but St. Louis Cardinals will certainly have their late team's late-inning fate in good hands.