Cardinals Add Outfielder Moises Gomez to 40-Man Roster

photo: Moises Gomez (Springfield Cardinals)

St. Louis Cardinals press release

The St. Louis Cardinals have selected the contract of outfielder Moises Gomez to the 40-player roster today (Monday, November 7).

Gomez, 24, batted .294 with 39 home runs, 94 RBI over 120 games while playing for Memphis (AAA) and Springfield (AA) in 2022.  The 39 home runs led all of Minor League Baseball and set the Cardinals record for a minor league player in a single season.

Moisés Gómez

Gomez surpassed the previous Cardinals minor league home run record holders Tyrone Horne in 1998 and Felix DeLeon in 1962.  He was also named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month and the Texas League Player of the Month in April.

Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays organization as an International free agent in 2015, Gomez played six seasons with the Rays’ minor league affiliates before signing with the Cardinals as a minor league free agent in November 2021.

The Cardinals 40-player roster currently stands at 35.

Brian Walton’s take

Gomez needed to be added to the 40-man roster now. Otherwise, he would have become a minor league free agent for the second consecutive off-season. Given his 2022 results, that would have been a mistake, despite his strikeout rate of almost 35%.

One year ago, faced with a comparable decision on outfielder Nick Plummer, the Cardinals declined. Plummer signed with the Mets and later made his MLB debut, though his results were not special.

As soon as 60-day injured list players Alex Reyes and Drew VerHagen are returned to the roster, it will be at 37 players. Next deadline is the Rule 5 protection date of November 15, which could lead to the filling of several more spots.

Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation

Jordan Walker in His Own Words

On Closeout – 2022 Prospect Guide

The Cardinal Nation 2022 Prospect Guide is back for a fifth year. It includes 276 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of color photos. Order your PDF or printed book copy today! The latter is now 20% off.

Order TCN’s 2022 Cardinals Prospect Guide


Not yet a member?

Join The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.

Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on Twitter.

© 2022 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.