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Robberse

Robberse will be on the shelf likely until the second half of the 2026 campaign. The 23-year-old righty made only four starts this season at Triple-A Memphis before requiring surgery.

With LHP prospect Quinn Matthews landing on the Triple-A IL, Robberse is putting himself in position to be the first in line for a call-up if the Cardinals need a starter. He has allowed five earned runs on 14 hits in 12 innings this year while striking out 14 and walking seven.

Robberse has been hit hard this spring and will open the season back in the upper minors.

His own error contributed to the mess. Robberse, who is on the Cardinals’ 40-man and rates as one of the team’s better pitching prospects, had a 4.38 ERA in 90 1/3 innings in Triple-A last season. He was rumored to be in line for his first callup last May, but it didn’t materialize, and he went on to miss some time afterwards. He’s a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster, something that was true even before this.

Robberse boasts a sublime 1.77 ERA and 35/7 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings (six starts) for Triple-A Memphis and appears to be in line to fill the vacant spot in St. Louis’ starting rotation on Tuesday against the Mets. The unheralded 22-year-old righty doesn’t throw hard, but he’s certainly done enough to at least earn a spot start for the Cardinals with Steven Matz (back) likely to end up on the injured list.

The interesting wrinkle here is that the Cardinals decision to bump up Kyle Gibson and Miles Mikolas creates an opening on Tuesday against the Mets. The most likely candidate to fill that void would be pitching prospect Sem Robberse, who would be taking the ball on regular rest, and has been excellent this season for Triple-A Memphis. It’s a storyline worth monitoring this weekend.

Robberse boasts the second-lowest ERA (1.82) in the International League through five starts after spinning another gem on Friday evening for Triple-A Memphis. He generated 14 swinging strikes and finished with a 32 percent CSW. The 22-year-old righty doesn’t throw hard, but he’s been effective so far in the upper minors since coming over last year in the Jordan Hicks deal with the Blue Jays.

Robberse has been excellent at the outset of the season, posting a microscopic 1.59 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 23/6 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings (four starts) for Triple-A Memphis. The 22-year-old righty was acquired last year in the Jordan Hicks trade with the Blue Jays and could be an option for St. Louis at some point in the near future, especially if he keeps pitching well.

No real surprises here among the latest batch of cuts from Cardinals camp, with Roby representing the highest profile name. The 22-year-old righty has more diverse opinions from scouts and evaluations than most prospects, but there’s no denying that he’s likely to reach the majors at some point during the 2024 campaign.

Robberse was part of the trade deadline package from the Blue Jays for hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks and will be protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 22-year-old right-hander finished with a solid 4.28 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 130/57 K/BB ratio across 124 innings (26 appearances, 25 starts) between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Memphis.