Kyle

Leahy

The 28-year-old hurler punched out one batter on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. The Cardinals have toyed with the idea of shifting Leahy to the starting rotation in 2026 and if his effort on Sunday was any indication it looks like he could be up to the task. Leahy finishes the 2025 campaign with a 4-2 record, 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and an 80/28 K/BB ratio over 88 innings in 62 appearances.

The Cardinals are having Liberatore finish on a high note after he defeated the Brewers on Sunday. Kyle Leahy could get a start in game 162, though that will depend on if he’s needed out of the bullpen first. Liberatore finishes up his first full season as a starter 8-12 with a 4.21 ERA and a 122/40 K/BB in 151 2/3 innings. That he made such big gains in lefty-righty matchups is encouraging, but as a flyball pitcher with a below average strikeout rate, his ceiling still seems rather low.

O’Brien hasn’t been placed on the injured list, so that’s a positive. Still, that might come based on what the MRI reveals. JoJo Romero is worth using in most leagues with the Cardinals’ primary closing alternative down. Kyle Leahy could also be an option in deeper formats.

JoJo Romero entered in the seventh tonight and also got four outs while facing only three batters. Leahy gave up a pair of singles to start the ninth in a two-run game, but he then got an out at third on a sac bunt attempt from Will Banfield and he went on to retire Matt McLain and TJ Friedl to end the game. With Romero and Riley O’Brien both performing well, Leahy will probably remain third in line for saves in St. Louis, in part because the Cardinals like having him available to go multiple innings.

The Cardinals could have gone to JoJo Romero or Riley O’Brien after taking a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, but they chose to stick with Leahy, who has morphed into more of a long man since the deadline opened up the closer’s role. He’s pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings over three appearances this month. We’d trust him more in the ninth than the Cardinals’ alternatives, but used like this, he might still offer some NL-only value.

O’Brien walked Max Muncy with two outs, but he then retired Alex Freeland to end the game. JoJo Romero got the win today for striking out Shohei Ohtani to end the seventh and retiring two in the eighth. Kyle Leahy, who was another candidate to close with Ryan Helsley gone, pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings after replacing Matthew Liberatore in the fifth, striking out four along the way. Romero is probably the favorite for saves in St. Louis at the moment, but with the way Leahy is being used, O’Brien might be worth a roster spot in mixed leagues as the top alternative of Romero.

Romero has two saves in three days for the Cardinals, but he may not be the full-time closer many think he is in St. Louis. After the Cardinals traded Steven Matz, Romero is now the only left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. On Monday, he was saved for the save situation because left-handed-hitters Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were due up. According to Goold, that won’t always be the case, and Romero will be relied on to get tough left-handers out in the eighth inning if the Cardinals can’t add another left-handed pitcher to the bullpen. Goold reports that “The Cardinals intend to get Riley O’Brien, Kyle Leahy, and perhaps Gordon Graceffo some opportunities to save games if they can forge leads.”

We’ll see if Oliver Marmol follows suit. Romero has a nice 2.04 ERA this season, but he’s considerably more effective against lefties than righties and a good team should be playing matchups with him. Kyle Leahy and Riley O’Brien are the right-handed alternatives to Romero.

Leahy is back up after two weeks in Triple-A. He has a 4.02 ERA in 47 innings out of the Cardinals pen this season.

Leahy heads back to the minors after allowing three runs over 1 1/3 innings on Friday in relief against the Marinrs. The 27-year-old righty has posted a serviceable 4.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 32/10 K/BB ratio across 47 innings (31 appearances) this season at the highest level.