The St. Louis Cardinals announced today they were giving left-hander pitcher J.C. Romero his unconditional release and recalled right-handed pitcher Eduardo Sanchez from Triple-A Memphis to fill the vacancy on the 25-man roster.

Sanchez, 23, was 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA in 14 appearances in Memphis. Despite a tough start, the right-hander did not allow a run or hit in his last five appearances. He also did not allow a run during seven Spring Training appearances, striking out 14 batters over eight innings.

Last season, Sanchez made 26 Major League appearances compiling a 3-1 record with a 1.80 ERA and struck out 35 batters in 30.0 innings with five saves. He finished the 2011 season with 10 consecutive scoreless appearances over 12.0 innings.

Romero, 34, appeared in 11 games this season for the Cardinals posting an 0-0 record with a 10.13 ERA in 8.0 innings. The Cardinals were his sixth team over the course of 12 Major League seasons.