Romero allowed a hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings to earn the save in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Rays.
Romero was brought in for the eighth inning and threw 15 pitches in that frame. He stayed in for the ninth and added 11 more pitches to secure his fourth save of the season. It's encouraging usage for Romero, who had two losses, one blown save and two holds over hos previous four appearances, which made it look like his time as closer was over just weeks after it started. The lefty reliever has a 2.31 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 45:21 K:BB while adding 18 holds over 46.2 innings this season. Riley O'Brien has had a fairly stable August compared to Romero, which has pushed the Cardinals' late-inning situation into more of a committee approach.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Shaky in four-out save
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Romero allowed three hits and a walk over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Cubs.
Romero got out of a little trouble in the eighth inning, then created some more traffic on the basepaths before locking things down in the ninth. Since taking over as closer to begin August, Romero has allowed seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings, but he's given up just one earned run in that span. He's at a 1.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 38:18 K:BB through 41 innings on the year while adding three saves and 16 holds. With the Cardinals at 60-59 following Sunday's game, Romero figures to be a decent speculative option for fantasy managers chasing saves as long as the team is still plausibly in the hunt for a wild-card spot.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Grabs save Monday
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Romero allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Dodgers.
Romero has now picked up the Cardinals' first two saves since the team shipped Ryan Helsley to the Mets. This one wasn't a particularly pretty performance, but it was an improvement after he gave up a run during his first save Saturday versus the Padres. Romero had a rough early portion of the season, but he posted a 0.36 ERA and 28:8 K:BB from May to July before this recent shaky patch. He's at a 2.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 36:17 K:BB through 37.2 innings, and even if he isn't a full-time closer, he should still maintain high-leverage work after logging 16 holds earlier in the campaign.
Romero allowed one run on two hits and one walk over 1.1 innings to earn the save Saturday against the Padres. He did not record a strikeout.
The left-hander recorded the final out of the eighth inning and returned for the ninth to notch St. Louis' first save since trading former closer Ryan Helsley, though Romero didn't have his cleanest performance. Still, the 29-year-old has been a reliable high-leverage option this season, with Saturday's earned run being the first he's given up since June 26. Riley O'Brien and Gordon Graceffo could also be in the mix for saves, but it's notable that Romero received the first opportunity.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Top candidate for saves with Cards
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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated Thursday that Romero is the top candidate to take over the team's closer role following the trade of Ryan Helsley, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol has the ultimate say, and it's possible he'll have a difference of opinion than Mozeliak, but Romero is the most logical candidate to see save chances after the departure of Helsley and Phil Maton. Romero has been the club's top left-handed setup man for most of the season and has permitted only one earned run with a 28:8 K:BB over 25 innings since the start of May. Riley O'Brien and Kyle Leahy could be the top options from the right side for save opportunities if Marmol wants to play matchups.
Cardinals' JoJo Romero: In groove since late April
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Romero has surrendered just one earned run over his last 23 appearances, netting 12 holds over that stretch.
Romero held a 7.27 ERA and 5:6 K:BB over 8.2 innings covering his first 11 appearances. He was averaging just 92.8 mph with his sinker during that span, but after work in the weight room and a mechanical adjustment, Romero has his sinker up to 94.3 mph on average during the aforementioned 23-game stretch. The left-hander is the Cardinals' primary left-handed setup man and should continue to be a solid source of holds moving forward.
Romero averaged 95.3 mph during a scoreless appearance Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader versus the Mets, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Romero was called upon in the eighth inning with two runners on, the Cardinals clinging to a one-run lead and Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo due up. After walking Soto to load the bases, Romero struck out Alonso looking and then got Nimmo to fly out to end the frame. The left-hander has spent extra time in the weight room recently in hopes of regaining some velocity and swing-and-miss, and he's now turned in three straight scoreless appearances while striking out three of nine batters faced.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Still not getting strikeouts
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Romero has just a 3:5 K:BB through his first 7.1 innings this season.
Romero boasted a 28.6 percent strikeout rate in his first full season with the Cardinals in 2023, but that number fell to 21 percent in 2024 and sits at just 10 percent through his first eight appearances in 2025. The southpaw still induces lots of grounders (54.5 percent this season) and remains manager Oliver Marmol's primary left-handed setup man ahead of closer Ryan Helsley, but Romero might see his responsibilities decrease if he can't rediscover some swing-and-miss.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Steps in against batters Wednesday
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Romero (forearm) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Romero closed the 2024 season on the injured list due to right forearm inflammation, but he began a throwing program in late October and appears to be facing no limitations in spring training. The 28-year-old southpaw should remain a key setup option in front of closer Ryan Helsley in 2025 after logging a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB while gathering 30 holds, seven wins and one save over 59 innings a season ago.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Inks contract for 2025
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Romero agreed to a one-year contract with the Cardinals on Thursday to avoid arbitration.
Romero ended the season on the injured list with a forearm issue but resumed throwing early in the offseason and should be healthy for the start of spring training. The left-hander racked up 30 holds and one save with a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB across 59 innings last year.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: To start throwing next week
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Romero (forearm) is slated to begin a throwing program next week, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Romero landed on the 15-day injured list during the final week of the regular season due to left forearm inflammation. However, as long as he can avoid setbacks, it would appear he is in line for his normal offseason routine. Romero held a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 59 innings for the Cardinals during the 2024 regular season.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: To IL with forearm inflammation
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The Cardinals placed Romero on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left forearm flexor inflammation.
Romero doesn't appear to be dealing with any structural damage to his pitching arm, but the injury will prematurely end his 2024 campaign. The setup man enjoyed a successful season, finishing with a 3.36 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB over 59 innings. He scooped up seven wins and was credited with 30 holds and one save.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Stuck with loss Thursday
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Romero (7-3) allowed a run on one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning, taking the loss Thursday versus the Pirates.
Romero put two runners on base in the eighth inning, and Ryan Fernandez allowed one of them to score after he entered the game. Over six innings in September, Romero has allowed two runs on six hits and three walks, a slight fade in performance from his level throughout the year. He's now at a 2.76 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 51:15 K:BB through 58.2 innings while adding a save, eight blown saves and 30 holds.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Grabs first save
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Romero earned the save in Thursday's 6-1 win over Cincinnati, allowing two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings.
Romero recorded the final out in the eighth inning, preserving a 3-1 Cardinals lead, before St. Louis added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom half of the frame. Romero would come back out in the ninth, sealing the win to earn his first save this season. While the left-hander won't overtake Ryan Helsley for the closing job, he's been reliable in a setup role this season and has held opponents to just one run in his last six appearances (five innings). Romero now sports a 2.65 ERA through 57.2 innings this year with a 1.08 WHIP and 51:14 K:BB.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Grabs win over Reds
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Romero (7-2) struck out one and didn't allow a baserunner over two-thirds of an inning to earn the win Wednesday over the Reds.
Romero got the last two outs in the top of the eighth inning, and the Cardinals pulled ahead in their half of the frame. The setup man has two wins and a blown save over five appearances (3.2 innings) in September. Romero has posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 51:14 K:BB through 56.1 innings this season, and he's added 30 holds and eight blown saves while seeing steady high-leverage work.
