The Cardinals picked up left-hander Sean Gilmartin on an outright waiver claim, the club announced Sunday. Gilmartin was designated for assignment by the Mets earlier on Sunday to clear roster space for Seth Lugo, who is scheduled to make his season debut after dealing with a protracted case of elbow inflammation. The 27-year-old lefty was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
Gilmartin pitched just 3 1/3 innings in relief for the Mets this season, issuing eight hits, five runs and four strikeouts over two appearances. Shoulder pain and control issues hampered his progress in Triple-A Las Vegas, too, chaining him to a less-than-ideal 7.05 ERA through his first 37 innings. He hasn’t seen anything close to a full workload in the majors since his rookie season with the Mets in 2015, when he posted a 2.67 ERA, 2.7 BB/9 and 10.9 SO/9 over 57 1/3 innings between the rotation and bullpen.
Despite his struggles, Gilmartin still profiles as a decent spot starter with and could give the Cardinals some left-handed depth in the minors. He’ll help fill out a pitching staff that already features fellow left-handers Marco Gonzales, Zach Phillips, Jordan Schafer and Ryan Sherriff.