Cardinals' Daniel Ponce de Leon: Dumped from 40-man roster

The Cardinals designated Ponce de Leon for assignment Monday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Ponce de Leon was cast off the 40-man roster and 28-man active roster to clear a spot for fellow reliever Brandon Waddell, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Though he had some decent moments as a spot starter for the Cardinals in 2018 and 2019, Ponce de Leon's effectiveness in a swingman role has tailed off considerably over the past two seasons. Dating back to the start of 2020, the 29-year-old righty has covered 66 innings with the Cardinals, posting a 5.59 ERA (5.87 FIP), 1.47 WHIP and a 9.0 K-BB%.