Whitley made his major-league debut in a loss to the Pirates on Sunday, firing a scoreless seventh inning during which he allowed no hits or walks while recording one strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

Whitley got his three outs on 13 pitches, retiring the trio of Jacob Stallings, Erik Gonzalez and Adam Frazier. The 25-year-old right-hander made the Opening Day roster after consistently flummoxing hitters at every level of the minors since being drafted in 2017, and his mid-90s fastball could conceivably help him progressively carve out some higher-leverage opportunities as the season unfolds.

Whitley made the Cardinals' 30-man roster, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

His contract was purchased as result. The 25-year-old righty rode his plus fastball and potentially plus slider to a phenomenal year in the minors last season. He had a 1.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 78:19 K:BB in 67.1 innings across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Whitley could eventually earn high-leverage opportunities, but he will likely begin the year pitching in low-pressure spots as he adjusts to facing big-league hitters for the first time.