Cardinals Shut Down Young Fireballer for the Foreseeable Future

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00:00Cardinals shut down young fireballer for the foreseeable future.

00:05The St. Louis Cardinals are still scratching and clawing for a wildcard spot,

00:09but Monday brought a gut punch to their bullpen plans.

00:12One of their biggest surprises of the season, right-hander Riley O'Brien,

00:16has been shut down for the time being after an MRI revealed soreness in his throwing shoulder.

00:22It's a brutal blow to a team hanging on the edge of the playoff chase with a 68-70 record.

00:27The Milwaukee Brewers are long gone with a 17-game lead in the NL Central,

00:32so the wildcard is the only path forward.

00:36But losing O'Brien, who has been nails since the trade deadline, makes the climb steeper.

00:41If you only looked at his career stats before 2025,

00:45you never would have guessed O'Brien would become this important.

00:49Once a journeyman with a dismal 10.45 ERA over 10 games,

00:53his St. Louis performance transformed him.

00:55In 31 games, he achieved a 1.69 ERA,

00:59taking charge post-deadline with a 1.74 ERA in critical times.

01:05He's been counted on in high-leverage spots and in closing roles.

01:08MLB.com's John Denton shared Monday on social media.

01:11This has been a breakout season for O'Brien.

01:14What makes this sting is how little time is left.

01:18With just 24 games remaining,

01:20even a short injured list stint could end his season.

01:22Though the Cardinals haven't ruled out a return, it's doubtful.

01:27Still, O'Brien's success has secured his future role beyond 2025,

01:32anchoring him as a vital bullpen component in 2026.

01:36For now, Oliver Marmol will have to lean even harder on JoJo Romero,

01:40Kyle Leahy, and the rest of the Relief Corps.

01:43O'Brien's unexpected rise shows late bloomers can drastically alter their career narrative.

01:48Cardinals fans can count on him for 2026.

01:51One thing is clear,

01:52the flamethrower is now an answer.