Rotation Picture Tightens as Cardinals Close Camp Under Pressure

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — March 31, 1926

The Cardinals moved through their final full day of March work with the weight of decisions now fully settled over League Park.

There is no longer any question about what this stage of camp represents.

It is not preparation.

It is selection.

And on the mound, that selection has grown more complicated in the absence of Jesse Haines.

With the club’s leading arm unavailable to begin the season, what had been a structured rotation has shifted into open competition behind Bill Sherdel. The right-hander now stands at the front of the staff, not by long-term design, but by immediate necessity.

Sherdel’s work this spring has been steady—controlled innings, limited damage, and a pace that keeps the defense engaged. He is not overpowering, but he does not need to be. In a staff searching for balance, reliability has become its own form of strength.

Behind him, the picture tightens.

Flint Rhem remains one of the most closely watched arms in camp. His delivery carries life, and when he is working ahead in the count, hitters struggle to square him up. The question is not ability—it is repeatability. The Cardinals need innings that look the same from start to finish, not flashes that come and go.

Vic Keen has begun to move himself back into that conversation. After a rough opening stretch, his recent work has shown improvement in command and tempo. Fewer wasted pitches, fewer extended counts, and a stronger finish to innings have helped stabilize his standing. He is no longer chasing a spot—he is competing for one.

Art Reinhart, after being struck hard in his last outing, now finds himself at a critical point. The left-hander has long been valued for control, but when that control slips, he does not have the margin for recovery that others possess. His next appearance will carry added weight.

Further back, the field remains crowded.

Allen Sothoron brings experience and familiarity with the league, a veteran presence that carries quiet value in uncertain stretches. Duster Mails, returned to the club, offers another seasoned arm capable of handling work if called upon. Sylvester Johnson continues to show enough to remain in consideration, while Bill Hallahan and Herman Bell, advancing from Syracuse, represent the club’s developing depth.

There are more arms than there are places.

And fewer days left to decide.

The idea of opening the season with six starters—discussed earlier in camp as a way to ease the staff into the schedule—remains possible. But even that approach requires clarity, and clarity is what the Cardinals are still working to find.

On the field, the infield rotation continued.

Hornsby remains fixed at second base, the only constant in a shifting arrangement around him. Thevenow, Bell, Toporcer, High, and Cooney continue to move through positions, taking ground balls from every angle, turning double plays under pressure, and proving not only that they can play—but that they can adjust.

That flexibility will matter.

Because the roster that leaves Texas will not carry excess.

It will carry necessity.

The Cardinals entered camp looking to strengthen the back end of their rotation.

They leave March rebuilding its front.

And as April approaches, the question is no longer who has ability.

It is who can be trusted to carry it when the season begins.

Mike Allen

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