The Cardinals granted Wittgren his release Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
St. Louis designated Wittgren for assignment July 2 before the veteran reliever cleared waivers a few days later. Rather than having him report to Triple-A Memphis, the Cardinals and Wittgren decided it was in their best interest to part ways. The 31-year-old righty will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal with his next organization after turning in a 5.90 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across 29 innings out of the St. Louis bullpen prior to being cast off the 40-man roster.