Flaherty (shoulder) is not expected to have time to get stretched out and return as a starter this season but could serve in a bullpen role, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Flaherty has been out for over two weeks with a strained right shoulder. He resumed playing catch Sunday and is expected to return to mound work next Thursday, but that's unlikely to leave him with enough time to build up to a starter's workload. How much the Cardinals elect to push Flaherty could depend in part on their playoff prospects. They currently sit three games behind the Padres for the second wild-card spot.