Cardinals' Pitching Prospect Excited to Return After Tommy John Surgery

Of the nine St. Louis Cardinals prospects scheduled to compete in the ongoing Arizona Fall League, the most surprising participant is right-handed pitcher Tekoah Roby, who didn’t pitch in the 2026 Minor League season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in July of 2025.

Roby, himself, was among the most surprised when a Cardinals’ front-office staffer called to gauge his thoughts about pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

“If I’m being honest, I had made it up in my mind that I was going to finish out the season in Jupiter while rehabbing,” Roby told MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra in Arizona. “Then, I got a call from our (Minor League) pitching coordinator (Austin Meine) and he was like, ‘Hey, your name came up in a conversation about the Fall League. How do you feel about that?’

“Initially, I was kind of like, ‘I just want to go home, to be completely honest with you.’ But the idea of competing again really did excite me. I feel like if you ask anybody here if they want to go and compete, they’re going to go and be excited about that.”

For Roby -- who is scheduled to make his first start on Friday at 3:30 PM CT -- it will be his first time competing in a game-like situation since July 10, 2025, when he injured his elbow during an impressive 5 2/3 inning outing for Triple-A Memphis where he gave up no runs and struck out six hitters. It was a devastating blow for a right-hander who had finally gained some traction in his career and appeared closer than ever to the big leagues.

A third-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2020, Roby topped 100 innings in 2022 at High-A Hickory and was acquired by the Cardinals in the July 2023 trade deadline deal centered around Jordan Montgomery going to the Rangers, where he would win a World Series title.

Roby, now 25, was dealing with a shoulder injury at the time the Cardinals acquired him, and he’s struggled to stay healthy since then. He made just 10 starts at Class A and Double-A in 2024 because of shoulder issues before he looked ready to finally break through as a hurler in 2025. A 4-2 start with a 2.49 ERA over 10 starts at Double-A Springfield earned him a promotion to Triple-A Memphis, where he again fared well over 31 1/3 innings of work.    

Then, came the devastating elbow injury that knocked the Asheville, N.C. native out for more than a year. Named after the nearby Toccoa Falls in North Carolina, but nicknamed “TK” by his Cardinals teammates, Roby said he views his return from injury differently this time around.  

“I think maybe expectations are different (from his other shoulder troubles),” said Roby, who has yet to pitch in the first four days of action in the Arizona Fall League, but is expected to work on strict pitch count limits. “Obviously, I was healthier for longer this time. Now, it’s just about feeling good and getting game reps in because that’s something I haven’t done in some time. Also, it’s about internally having a different perspective on these types of things.”

Cardinals Relief Prospect Shines in First Arizona Fall League Appearance

Roby, the No. 14-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ Minor League system, is one of nine Cardinals prospects participating in the Arizona Fall League, a spot that St. Louis has used as a finishing school, of sorts, to rising prospects in recent years. Outfielder Tai Peete, infielder Sammy Hernandez, third baseman Cade McGee, left-handed pitcher Michael Watson, right-handed pitchers Nate Dohm, Frank Elissalt, Joseph King and Nolan Sparks make up the Cardinals contingent playing for the Peoria (Ariz.) Javelinas. Peete, the No. 17-ranked prospect, has three hits and a homer so far, while the unranked Hernandez had a triple as part of a two-hit game on Monday.

Prior to being injured, Roby relied heavily on a fastball that routinely touched 98-97 and a hard-breaking slider with better-than-average command. After spending the entire 2026 season playing catch and throwing shorter, controlled bullpen sessions, Roby believes his command will be improved when he finally gets on the mound for his Fall League debut.

“The general consensus is that it takes about 18 months to be like really, really back to normal,” Roby said. “Honestly, one thing that I’ve been able to work on is command. I hope that the stuff comes back, but in order to be a good pitcher and not have to rely (on his stuff), the command is such an important piece. That’s something I’ve been able to really work on. You throw for six months straight of just catch-play, those are a lot of reps to be intentional with hitting spots, being athletic, moving around, and to this point that there has been improvement with that.”