Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Impressing in relief role
Rotowire
Thompson has pitched six scoreless innings through six Grapefruit League appearances.
He's struck out six while allowing four hits and two walks. Thompson's strong pitching is solidifying his place in the Cardinals' bullpen, though his history as a starter in the minors makes it possible he ends up as a long-relief option. At this point, there's a wide range of outcomes for Thompson, who could ultimately end up as the Cardinals' top left-handed reliever. That could earn him some high-leverage looks thanks to manager Oliver Marmol's matchup-based approach when the Cardinals are protecting a lead.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Spending spring in bullpen
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Thompson will work exclusively as a reliever this spring, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Thompson's MLB debut was a four-inning relief appearance last June, and he followed that up with a five-inning start, but he filled a much more conventional relief role the rest of the way. He finished with an impressive 2.08 ERA, but that came with a sub-par 19.9 percent strikeout rate and 10.3 percent walk rate. Now 25 years old, the lefty could still spend time starting for Triple-A Memphis, but it looks as though he'll be relieving in St. Louis if all goes well.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Yields run in relief outing
Rotowire
Thompson allowed a run on one hit and struck out three over 2.1 innings during Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Pirates.
Thompson has been effective in a middle-relief role since he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 27. In nine appearances since that date, he's allowed two runs, six hits and six walks while striking out 11 over 12 innings. The southpaw has been an effective part of the Cardinals' bullpen throughout the year with a 2.12 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB in 34 innings across 21 appearances (one start). His ability to handle multi-inning assignments should give him a path to the postseason roster.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Recalled by Cardinals
Rotowire
Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
Thompson hasn't pitched in the majors in over a month but will provide an extra arm in the bullpen after Genesis Cabrera was sent down Saturday. Thompson posted a 2.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 22 innings over 12 appearances (one start) with the Cardinals earlier in the year and should serve mainly as a middle reliever now that he's back in the big leagues.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Sent to Memphis
Rotowire
Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.
Thompson was called up by the Cardinals in mid-July and tossed two scoreless innings over two relief appearances with the major-league club. He should see more consistent work in the minors, while his demotion makes room for Jordan Montgomery on the active roster.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Rejoins big club
Rotowire
Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
The left-hander was optioned to Triple-A on Monday but will return to St. Louis with Dakota Hudson (neck) landing on the injured list. Thompson has been effective when up in the majors with a 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB across 20 innings.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Headed for Memphis
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Thompson to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Thompson had started to hit his stride in a relief role for the Cardinals, as he struck out nine and turned in a 0.64 WHIP while tossing 11 scoreless innings across his last eight appearances. The demotion to the minors thus shouldn't be viewed as performance-related, with manager Oliver Marmol telling Katie Woo of The Athletic that the assignment to Memphis will allow Thompson to get stretched back out as a starter or as a multi-inning reliever, depending on the Cardinals' needs coming out of the All-Star break.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Takes extra-inning loss Sunday
Rotowire
Thompson (1-1) took the extra-inning loss Sunday versus the Cubs. He allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out two over 1.2 innings without walking a batter.
Thompson was responsible for an RBI single from Willson Contreras, and the Cardinals couldn't get even in the bottom of the 10th inning. With Genesis Cabrera on the COVID-19 injured list, Thompson is expected to fill a multi-inning role in critical spots in games in the short term. He has a 3.31 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB in six appearances (one start) spanning 16.1 innings this year. Jack Flaherty (shoulder) made an early exit Sunday, and if he's forced to miss time again, Thompson would be among the shortlist of options to join the rotation.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Moving to bullpen
Rotowire
Thompson is expected to work out of the bullpen for now, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Thompson has made one start and two relief appearances thus far in his career. He was knocked around for five runs in five innings by the Pirates in his lone start but allowed just one run in a combined seven innings as a reliever. His next relief outings may be shorter, however, as the Cardinals appear set to match him up against other teams' toughest lefties rather than use him in a multi-inning role.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Coughs up five runs
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Thompson allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings in Monday's win over Pittsburgh. He struck out two and did not factor in the decision.
Thompson had given up just one run through four frames before a brutal fifth inning. He yielded four runs in the frame, including a three-run homer by Michael Chavis. Fortunately for Thompson, he avoided taking the loss in his first career start when his team mounted a comeback after he left the game. The 24-year-old southpaw now ows a 6.00 ERA through nine MLB innings.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: First career start coming Monday
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Thompson will make his first career start Monday against the Pirates, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Thompson made his big-league debut in early June against the Cubs, allowing one run across four innings of relief work. The extent to which Monday's opportunity is an audition for a permanent rotation role isn't entirely clear, as the Cardinals needed an extra starter ahead of Tuesday's doubleheader and will be getting Jack Flaherty back from his shoulder injury fairly soon. That said, the 2019 first-round pick comes with a fair amount of prospect pedigree and struck out 30.1 percent of the batters he faced across 10 starts for Triple-A Memphis this season, so it's very possible he makes his case to remain in the rotation.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Excels in MLB debut
Rotowire
Thompson gave up one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three over four innings Friday against the Cubs. He earned the save in his big-league debut.
He was the eighth player since at least 1901 to pitch four or more innings and record a save in his MLB debut and the first in 45 years. Thompson is a starter by trade, and he gave the Cardinals some length out of the bullpen in the first game of a four-game weekend series. Given his success in this debut and at Triple-A this season (3.66 xFIP, 1.15 WHIP, 22.0 K-BB%), he could be an option to slot into the rotation at some point this summer.
Thompson's contract was selected from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
Thompson is one of the Cardinals' top prospects, and the team has spent the last two years developing him as a starter in Memphis. He's made 10 minor-league starts this year and has posted a 4.67 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 44.1 innings. The southpaw hasn't yet made his major-league debut but will join the active roster for the first time in his career. The Cardinals have a doubleheader against the Cubs on Saturday, but it's not yet clear whether Thompson will make his big-league debut as a starter or out of the bullpen.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Thompson was reassigned to minor-league camp Thursday.
Thompson hasn't pitched above High-A in formal game action, so his chances of making the big-league team were exceptionally low. He's projected to start the season at Double-A Springfield, where he'll continue develop as one of the Cardinals' top prospects.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Heads to alternate camp
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The Cardinals assigned Thompson to their alternate training site in Springfield on Thursday.
Though he's one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, Thompson hasn't pitched above the High-A level and was considered a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster. The Cardinals remain committed to developing Thompson as a starter, but he's most likely to work as a reliever if he makes his big-league debut in 2020.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Throws first live BP
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Thompson, a 2019 first-round pick, threw live batting practice for the first time at summer camp Sunday to five hitters, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The left-hander faced off against Andrew Knizner, Lane Thomas, Dylan Carlson, Austin Dean and Justin Williams, a group of fellow prospects with a smattering of major-league experience that served as a good first test for the 22-year-old. Thompson appeared to be bit on edge initially according to manager Mike Shildt, but the Cardinals skipper praised him for subsequently settling in and making quality pitches in the latter portion of the session. Thompson is expected to remain in the team's alternate training site getting developmental work in once the regular season begins after reaching the High-A level during his first minors campaign.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Joins summer camp
Rotowire
Thompson was added to the Cardinals' summer camp roster Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The 2019 first-round pick covered 13.1 innings and had 19 strikeouts for High-A Palm Beach last year, and he was likely to end up at Double-A Springfield at some point in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the minor-league season. Thompson is one of the organization's top prospects and is unlikely to see major-league action this year, but his presence at Busch Stadium should aid in his development.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Future considered bright
Rotowire
Thompson, who fired three scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play before spring training was suspended, took advantage of his time with the big-league club to consult with the team's various starting pitchers, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The 22-year-old southpaw leveraged his first chance to be around big leaguers on a day-to-day basis by peppering hurlers like Adam Wainwright, Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson with questions. Thompson, the 19th overall pick of the Cardinals last season, struck out 19 of the 61 hitters he faced at High-A Palm Beach in 2019 and relies heavily on both a curveball and a slider he's actively looking to refine. Thompson appeared ticketed for time at Double-A Springfield at some point in 2020, but with the likelihood the minor-league season is lost outright, Thompson's development may be restricted to any baseball activities that the organization puts together for its top prospects.
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Cardinals' Zack Thompson: Gets camp invite
Rotowire
Thompson received an invitation to the Cardinals' big-league camp Friday.
The 19th overall pick in last year's draft will get to spend some time with the big-league coaching staff, though he's still a few years from joining them on a permanent basis. He threw just 15.1 innings in his first year as a professional.
