Cardinals release injured reliever Rosenthal

The St. Louis Cardinals have given reliever Trevor Rosenthal his unconditional release, the club announced Monday. Rosenthal underwent Tommy John surgery in August and was expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2018 campaign.

The 27-year-old was slated to become a free agent after next season, and the Cardinals did not wish to pay his salary while he wasn't playing, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

Rosenthal's spent all six of his major-league seasons with the Cardinals, twice recording more than 45 saves. He was one of their most trusted relievers from 2013-15, posting a 2.65 ERA while striking out 278 batters over 214 1/3 innings.

He lost his closer's role in June 2016 after allowing 15 earned runs and 21 walks over only 24 innings of work. He later missed nearly two months with a shoulder injury.

The Cardinals selected Rosenthal in the 21st round of the 2009 amateur draft. He was used almost exclusively as a starting pitcher throughout parts of four seasons in the minors, but has pitched every inning of his MLB career out of the bullpen.