The St. Louis Cardinals aren't competing for a playoff spot. They do have the opportunity to play the role of spoiler though. St. Louis is looking to upset the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series beginning on Tuesday. However, the Cardinals made a few roster moves prior to the series.

LHP JoJo Romero was placed on the 15-day IL due to left knee patellar tendinitis, John Denton of MLB.com reported. In other moves, LHP Matthew Liberatore was activated from the 15-day IL, INF Taylor Motter was designated for assignment, and INF Jose Fermin was promoted to the big league club, per Denton as well.

Cardinals make roster moves ahead of Braves series

Losing Romero hurts St. Louis. He owns a 3.68 ERA across 27 games in 2023. Romero has been a bright spot amid St. Louis' forgettable campaign.

It will be interesting to watch Liberatore pitch down the stretch. The Cardinals desperately need to add pitching and may do so in free agency. Perhaps Liberatore will emerge as a reliable rotation option though. He can help himself out by performing well to close out the season.

St. Louis, as mentioned earlier, isn't playing for much as a team. Still, they can help the Los Angeles Dodgers out by winning this series against the Braves. Atlanta and Los Angeles are competing for the best record in the National League to ultimately earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Can the Cardinals step up as a spoiler though? Given their underwhelming 2023 season it doesn't seem likely. There is a chance though since St. Louis has nothing to lose.