Following roster expansion, St. Louis called up C-L Cody McKay, LHP Carmen Cali, and Al Reyes, while activating Rick Ankiel, Kiko Calero, and Ray Lankford from the disabled list. McKay will serve as the Cardinals' third catcher in September, allowing St. Louis to comfortably pull their starter without worrying about what might happen if their only back-up is injured.

The Cardinals drafted Cali out of Florida Atlantic University with a 10th round pick in the 2000 draft. He spent the remainder of that season as a starter for New Jersey in the Short-Season New York-Pennsylvania League. Cali opened 2001 as a reliever for A Peoria in the Midwest League and has not made a start since 2000. Following a full season at A+ Palm Beach in the Florida State League, the 25-year-old opened 2004 at AA Tennessee in the Southern League and in late July advanced to AAA Memphis in the International League, where he compiled a 20:4 K:BB with 17 H and 4 HR allowed in 20 IP for a 2.70 ERA over 17 appearances.

While he posted a nice walk rate during his limited time at AAA, Cali has struggled with his control throughout his minor league career. However, the lefty's strikeout rate indicates intriguing upside. Given that the Cardinals have secured the NL Central, St. Louis should feel comfortable using Cali to relax the September workload of their primary relievers. Despite his quick move through the upper minors, he could be quite effective and a strong performance this month should earn him further major league opportunities in 2005.