Cleveland, OH – The Cleveland Indians acquired reliever Marc Rzepczynski from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday in exchange for minor league infielder Juan Herrera.
Rzepczynski was a key component out of the bullpen during the Cardinals' run to a World Series title in 2011, then pitched in 70 games for the club last season. The lefty specialist has struggled mightily this year, however, allowing nine runs and 16 hits over 10 1/3 innings and spending the majority of the campaign with Triple-A Memphis.
St. Louis recalled Rzepczynski from the minors last week, but optioned him back to Memphis prior to Tuesday's doubleheader in Pittsburgh after being reached for a pair of runs over 1 1/3 innings in Monday's loss to the Pirates.
Rzepczynski broke into the majors with Toronto in 2009 and was dealt to the Cardinals as part of an eight-player swap just prior to the trade deadline in 2011. Over 177 career big league games, the 27-year-old has produced a 9-17 record along with a 4.20 earned run average.
The Indians announced that Rzepczynski will report to the team on Tuesday, though it is unclear as to whether he will be placed on the active roster for the team's game against the Chicago White Sox.
Herrera, 20, was batting .275 with one home run and 11 RBI in 39 games for Class-A Mahoning Valley. He will be assigned to the Cardinals' New York-Penn League affiliate in State College.
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