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JUPITER, Fla. — When thinking about what feels different for him this spring compared to the prior spring, added confidence comes to mind for Cardinals reliever Chris Roycroft.

The highs and lows of his first season in the majors have helped build it up.

“Just from all the experiences I got last year, there were a ton of moments where I feel like I may have failed in the moment, but failure is a good lesson,� Roycroft said Sunday before collecting a save and striking out three in the Cardinals’ 6-5 Grapefruit League win over the New York Yankees at Roger Dean Stadium. “You can learn a lot from failure. I just kind of treat it like that.�

After making his way through the Cardinals farm system as an undrafted free agent signee in 2022, Roycroft made 27 big league relief appearances following his promotion to the majors early last May.

He held a 4.19 ERA and struck out 33 batters in 34⅓ innings. The right-hander flashed upper 90s mph velocity with the ability to reach upwards of 99.5 mph. His sinker, the 6-foot-8 right-hander’s primary pitch, had a movement profile that ranked it among some of the best sinkers across the majors, per Statcast.

During his movement between Memphis and St. Louis, Roycroft delivered a stretch in which he sported a 0.93 ERA across 9 â…” innings following a call-up in early June. He also encountered a stint in which he held a 5.52 ERA over 14 â…” innings in 11 appearances in July.

“This game is all about failure. It’s all about how much you can fail and get back up and then learn your lesson from that. It’s always a constant growth mindset for me and just trying to be better each day,� Roycroft said.

Roycroft, 27, is contending for an opening day bullpen spot. He entered camp with a slider that has extra zip behind it while giving opposing hitters the perception of the pitch being his four-seam fastball.

After infield prospect and non-roster invitee Cesar Prieto hit a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning against Yankees, Roycroft struck out the side in the ninth inning on 14 pitches (10 strikes). He hasn’t allowed a run in five frames this spring. He’s notched five strikeouts and kept opposing batters to three hits and one walk.

“That was fun to watch,� Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said after the game. “We talked about the game slowing down for him. It’s cool to see when the game just lines up the way it did, right? You score one there. You take a one-run lead. The crowd is into it. You have to come in and get the last three outs. That’s kind of what we’ve been continuing to prep him for, and I thought he looked good.�

As he makes his bid for inclusion on a big league opening day roster for the first time in his career, Roycroft’s improved poise on the mound in moments when the flow of the game can speed up is one of the strides Marmol has noticed. The Cardinals noted Roycroft’s improved “head work,� which helps pitchers keep tabs on base runners in efforts to slow a team’s running game.

His “head work� was something Roycroft said he has gone more in-depth with since last season to learn of his own tendencies. He felt he was “very robotic� and, at times, “uncomfortable.�

To improve in that area, Roycroft said he did daily work with the Cardinals coaching staff. Roycroft said he and assistant pitching coach Dean Kiekhefer would set aside around 10 minutes after the righty threw to go through “dry work.�

The process became like “clockwork.�

The strides have become evident.

“He’s got a taste of it (the major leagues) now,� Marmol said before Sunday’s game. “Now he knows what that feels like and how to prepare for it. And then you repeat it so many times, not only when we do our fundamentals but on the back fields to where it’s second nature and you don’t have to think about it when the lights turn on. I think he’s getting to that point where we’ll see a better version of him because of that.�

Extra bases

Brendan Donovan’s late scratch from Sunday’s lineup was not injury-related, Marmol said. Donovan was in a previous version of the lineup as the Cardinals’ starting left fielder but instead used Sunday to work with hitting coach Brant Brown. The change was not reflected before lineups were announced.

• The Cardinals reassigned catchers Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal, infielder Jeremy Rivas, and outfielder Bryan Torres to minor league camp after Sunday’s game. Minor league catcher Yohel Pozo was added to the major league spring training roster as a non-roster invitee.
• The four home runs the Cardinals hit vs. the Yankees were the most they’ve hit in a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium since March 6, 2013.
• Cardinals minor leaguers will begin their spring training schedule Monday with a game on the back fields of the club’s complex against the Czech Republic national team. The 10-game minor league schedule will feature games against Marlins, Mets, Nationals, and Astros minor leaguers.All games are open to the public.