St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Riley O'Brien picked up his fifth save of the season in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Reds. O'Brien came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and turned in a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout. The 30-year-old has split save opportunities with JoJo Romero lately, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Tuesday's game. O'Brien has now converted five of eight save opportunities on the season with a 2.08 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and an 8.52 K/9 rate in 43 1/3 innings of work. He is currently widely available, making him a viable option for fantasy managers desparate for a final few saves in roto leagues.

The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping that right-handed reliever Riley O'Brien (shoulder) will be available out of their bullpen this weekend during their series against the visiting San Francisco Giants, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. O'Brien has been dealing with a right-shoulder injury and hasn't pitched for the Cardinals in over a week, but he was cleared to resume throwing earlier this week and it looks like he will avoid a trip to the injured list. How effective the 30-year-old will be in his return is another question, but he should continue to be in the mix for saves for St. Louis the rest of the way if he can stay healthy. O'Brien has been fantastic in his second season for the team in 2025 with a 1.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, his first two career saves, 35 strikeouts and 17 walks in 37 1/3 innings of relief. He also had three holds last month.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien (shoulder) was given clearance to play catch on Monday after an MRI on his right shoulder yielded encouraging results, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. There was concern that O'Brien would require a trip to the 15-day injured list as a result of extra soreness and tightness in his shoulder, but it appears he'll avoid going on the shelf. O'Brien was able to throw from around 120 feet on Monday without any issues, putting him on track to return in the next couple of days. The 30-year-old has been one of the Cardinals' top relievers this season, having recorded a 1.69 ERA (3.42 xERA) with a 1.13 WHIP, 35:17 K:BB, six holds, and two saves in 37 1/3 innings.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien (shoulder) is dealing with fatigue in his right shoulder and could go on the 15-day injured list, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Cardinals will know more on Monday after a doctor examines O'Brien. Since the Cardinals traded closer Ryan Helsley to the New York Mets in late July, O'Brien (two) and lefty JoJo Romero (five) are the only relievers on the team to collect multiple saves. If O'Brien has to miss time, it could lead to more opportunities for Romero and Kyle Leahy, who secured his first save on Saturday. Regardless, losing O'Brien would be a blow to the Cardinals' bullpen, as the 30-year-old has pitched to a stingy 1.69 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP, 35:17 K:BB, and six holds in 37 1/3 innings.UPDATE: After underging an MRI exam on his sore right shoulder on Monday morning, O'Brien is being shut down for now until a course of action is set.

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O'Brien closed out the Los Angeles Dodgers to nab his first career save in a 5-3 victory on Wednesday. The right-hander took over for lefty JoJo Romero with two outs and a man on first in the bottom of the eighth, and he induced a Teoscar Hernandez groundout to end the inning. O'Brien stayed in for the ninth and tossed a scoreless frame with one walk to secure the save. With the team having traded closer Ryan Helsley at last week's trade deadline, O'Brien, Romero, and Kyle Leahy are among the candidates for saves in St. Louis. Romero has tallied two saves since the deadline, but the Cardinals brought him into the game to face lefty-swinging slugger Shohei Ohtani in the seventh with two outs, a runner on, and the Dodgers leading 3-2. Romero struck out Ohtani and ended up getting the win after the Cardinals took the lead for good in the top of the eighth. Without another southpaw in their bullpen, the Cardinals will continue using Romero before the ninth if he's available to face a tough lefty hitter like Ohtani. That figures to limit his save opportunities to some degree.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Riley O'Brien allowed two runs over 1 1/3 innings in a 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. O'Brien struck out two and walked three while allowing two homers in the loss. The rookie was making his MLB debut but he didn't stick around for very long, throwing just 22 of 42 pitches for strikes. O'Brien posted a 4.55 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 112 2/3 innings at Triple-A Louisville this year.