The Cardinals announced that pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo has been optioned to Triple-A, in order to clear a 26-man roster spot for righty Jacob Bosiokovic. In a corresponding move for the selection of Bosiokovic’s contract, lefty Kolton Ingram was designated for assignment.
A 19th-round pick for the Rockies in the 2016 draft, Bosiokovic is now poised to make his debut as a big leaguer. The 30-year-old Bosiokovic was drafted as a first baseman but, after his progress at the plate was stalling out, he turned to pitching during the 2019 season. That position change has now paved Bosiokovic’s path to the Show, as he continued to develop on the mound after joining the Cardinals organization in late 2019.
Bosiokovic spent two years in the Cards’ system before becoming a free agent and signing with Charleston of the independent Atlantic League for the 2023 season. Resigning with St. Louis this past winter, Bosiokovic has a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings for Triple-A Memphis, along with a 29.7% strikeout rate. While the right-hander can miss bats and can keep the ball in the park (47.8% grounder rate), Bosiokovic’s control is a big concern, as he has a 17.2% walk rate during his time in Memphis this season.
St. Louis will give Bosiokovic a look while also bringing a fresh arm into the bullpen, as Graceffo pitched 4 1/3 innings in yesterday’s 9-4 loss to the Reds. Making his own MLB debut, Graceffo looked pretty solid in the long relief outing, limiting Cincinnati to a run on three hits and two walks, while Graceffo racked up four strikeouts.
Ingram has become a familiar name on MLBTR’s pages in 2024, as the southpaw has been designated for assignment four times by four different teams, and then claimed away on waivers from another club. Beginning February as a member of Detroit’s organization, Ingram has bounced from the Tigers to the Angels, Mets, Rangers, and Cardinals without getting any time in the big leagues. The left-hander’s Major League resume still consists of his five appearances and 5 1/3 innings with the Angels last season.
Ingram has a 4.26 ERA over 25 1/3 combined innings with three different Triple-A affiliates this year, which is quite solid considering the added tumult of continually changing teams. Given how his 2024 has gone, nobody would be surprised if yet another team in need of left-handed bullpen depth claims Ingram off the Cardinals’ waiver wire.