Although Jack Flaherty had an abbreviated start Saturday, the Cardinals avoided using Wacha for long relief, and before Sunday’s game they recalled Daniel Ponce de Leon to serve in the long-relief role. To make room in the bullpen, the Cardinals optioned righthander Ryan Helsley to Class AAA Memphis after two impressive outings at Wrigley. The swap of righthanders was made for one driving reason, manager Mike Shildt said: “Freshness.”
The righthander made one start earlier this season for the Cardinals and allowed one run on two hits in five innings. For the Triple-A Redbirds, Ponce de Leon is 4-4 with a 3.