Gregerson fired a perfect ninth inning in a shutout loss to the Twins on Monday, recording a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran reliever was razor sharp while firing eight of 12 pitches for strikes on his way to his fifth consecutive scoreless performance. Gregerson has managed to lower his ERA from 9.82 to 5.14 during that stretch, an encouraging development after he'd opened his season by allowing four earned runs over the 2.2 innings encompassing his first five appearances. The 33-year-old is one of manager Mike Matheny's ninth-inning options while Bud Norris is temporarily sidelined with triceps discomfort, but whether he'll have a chance for any save opportunities while the latter is unavailable remains to be seen.

Gregerson fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in a win over the Cubs on Friday, recording a strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

Dominic Leone was originally slated to follow Tyler Lyons in the eighth, but cramping in his bicep during warmup tosses blew up those plans. Gregerson was called upon in a pinch and responded by snuffing out a one-out, one-on threat by striking out Willson Contreras and inducing an inning-ending groundout from Kyle Schwarber. Following a disastrous outing last Saturday against the Pirates in which he failed to record an out, Gregerson has now responded with 2.2 scoreless frames across three subsequent appearances.

Gregerson allowed two earned runs on a hit and a walk without recording an out in a loss to the Pirates on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

It was a brief and rocky outing for Gregerson, who allowed a leadoff double to Jody Mercer to open the seventh and then promptly issued a free pass to pinch hitter Sean Rodriguez. Tyler Lyons subsequently gave up a sacrifice fly to David Freese that brought Mercer home, a run that went on Gregerson's ledger. The 33-year-old has had a rough start to his season after a spring hamstring injury delayed his debut until April 19, as he's now allowed a combined four earned runs over his last three appearances.

Gregerson grabbed his first hold of the season in a win over the Reds on Saturday, allowing an earned run on one hit over two-thirds of an inning.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander quickly disposed of Tucker Barnhart and Alex Blandino to open his frame before allowing a single to Phillip Ervin. Gregerson got the hook at that point, but he was eventually charged with a run when Ervin crossed the plate on the RBI single Tyler Lyons subsequently surrendered to Jose Peraza. Despite his ERA taking a hit Saturday, Gregerson has looked encouragingly sharp over his first two appearances, throwing six of nine pitches for strikes Saturday. With Bud Norris currently thriving in the ninth-inning role and Greg Holland likely to see opportunities in that capacity as well, Gregerson appears to be destined for plenty of eighth-inning setup work as the season unfolds.

Gregerson (hamstring) fired a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

The reliever's 2018 debut couldn't have gone much better given the situation he walked into. Manager Mike Matheny wasted no time throwing Gregerson into the fire, calling on him with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth. Gregerson was subsequently able to elicit an inning-ending double play off the bat of Addison Russell, disposing of the Cubs' shortstop in six pitches overall. Despite his past closing experience, Gregerson projects for a setup role at present, as both Bud Norris and Greg Holland currently rank ahead of him in terms of ninth-inning candidates.

Gregerson (hamstring) was activated from the disabled list Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Before Gregerson went on the disabled list with a hamstring strain at the start of the season, he was considered to be a favorite for the Cardinals' closer job. In his absence, however, the Cardinals signed Greg Holland, owner of 186 career saves. Holland hasn't stepped right into the closer's job in St. Louis, but it likely won't be long until the job is firmly his, leaving Gregerson stuck in a setup role.

Gregerson (hamstring), who fired two scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits and recorded two strikeouts over his Thursday and Friday rehab outings with High-A Palm Beach, could be activated at some point during three-game series with the Cubs that begins Monday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander hasn't given up a run over his four rehab appearances while compiling six strikeouts overall. Gregerson hasn't experienced any setbacks, and after pitching on back-to-back days, is likely ready to make his 2018 major-league debut. That development could unfold within the next couple of days according to Trezza's report, giving manager Mike Matheny a third veteran option with closing experience alongside Greg Holland and Bud Norris.

Gregerson (hamstring) is expected to make his next rehab appearance Friday with High-A Palm Beach, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Friday's outing will be important for the veteran reliever, as it marks the first time he'll be pitching on back-to-back days. If he gets through the outing successfully, he could return to the Cardinals' bullpen as soon as Monday for the team's series in Chicago. Regardless of the exact date, it seems that Gregerson is nearly back to 100 percent.

Gregerson (hamstring) struck out two over a scoreless inning in his second rehab outing with High-A Palm Beach on Monday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gregerson has breezed through his first two rehab appearances, and he was slated to pitch on back-to-back days for the first time during his assignment Tuesday. However, Palm Beach saw their game rained out, preventing him from clearing that benchmark. Manager Mike Matheny has stated that Gregerson will need to work back-to-back outings before he can make his 2018 big-league debut.

Gregerson (hamstring) is scheduled to make his third rehab appearance Monday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gregerson looks like he's nearly ready to return, though he still needs to pitch in back-to-back games before being cleared. Once he is back in the fold, he'll likely settle into a seventh- or eighth-inning role now that Greg Holland is in tow to handle save situations.