Alcantara, who is 2-1 with a 5.91 ERA over four starts at Double-A Springfield, has the confidence of the organization despite some early struggles, Max Gelman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "We're all patient with him, and we want to get him the innings he needs, and that's where you see the adjustments come," Cardinals farm director Gary LaRocque said. "He's done it before, and he's come through the system that way."
The 21-year-old hasn't quite found his stride in his first exposure to Double-A bats, but he has gotten into the sixth inning in three of his four trips to the mound. Alcantara did have one particularly poor outing, giving up seven earned runs over 3.2 innings against Frisco on April 13, but has been serviceable in his other three appearances. Alcantara notably mowed through High-A hitters last season, racking up a career-high 11.89 K/9 over 90.1 innings.