Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 5After a 15-7 April, the Double-A Cardinals are 3-2 in May with three rainouts already. While outfielder Nathan Church is the organization’s Player of the Month, the vaunted starting rotation is struggling, with a collective 6.01 ERA for the season.
Contreras Injury Leads to Series of Catching MovesOn Wednesday, May 8, the St. Louis Cardinals placed catcher Willson Contreras on the 10-day Injured List with a left arm fracture. Other roster moves followed at levels below.
photo: Giovanny Gallegos (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
On Monday, May 6, the St. Louis Cardinals placed right-handed reliever Giovanny Gallegos on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. His replacement is a first-time 40-man roster player and major leaguer, right-hander Chris Roycroft. To make room for the latter on the 40-man was the move of center fielder Tommy Edman from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.
In two appearances over the last week, the former closer was unable to record an out, and gave up a total of seven runs. For the season, Gallegos has a 12.00 ERA over 13 appearances with St. Louis.
A former independent league pitcher, Roycroft has an exceptional 1.38 ERA in 13 innings over 11 appearances for Memphis in 2024. However, the 26th year old’s FIP is over three runs higher at 4.63. Roycroft’s walk rate is 4.2 per nine innings, with his strikeout rate a pedestrian 6.2 per nine.
While Edman has been cleared to make full swings off a tee, his oft-delayed return remains clouded in uncertainty. I doubt anyone expected his activation to occur this month, anyway.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
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photo: Nathan Church (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals have selected Springfield outfielder Nathan Church and Palm Beach lefty Quinn Mathews the organization’s April Player and Pitcher of the Month.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals today (Monday, May 6) announced their selections for Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for April, with Springfield Cardinals (AAA) outfielder Nathan Church and Palm Beach Cardinals (A) left-handed starting pitcher Quinn Mathews taking home the honors.
Church, 23, slashed .349/.402/.512, led all qualified Cardinals hitters with a .914 OPS and ranked within the top three for the month in runs (17, 1st), hits (30, 1st), total bases (44, 1st), RBI (18, 2nd), extra-base hits (8, T2nd), and stolen bases (5, T3rd). He hit safely in 19 of 20 games played, which included a 13-game hit streak, and matched his career-best with a four-hit game on April 20. It is Church’s first career Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month award win.
“Nathan’s month of April was highlighted by a .349 average and .914 OPS, with only 5 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances,” said Cardinals Assistant GM & Director of Player Development Gary LaRocque.
The 5’10”, left-handed hitter was drafted by the club in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of UC-Irvine. Last season, Church led the Midwest League with 129 hits in 119 games played with High-A Peoria, sixth most among all Cardinals minor leaguers. Church was also recognized as the Texas League Player of the Week from April 15-21.
Mathews, 23, posted a 2-0 record with a 0.50 ERA (1 ER/18.0 IP), 0.89 WHIP with 38 strikeouts and seven hits allowed across his first four professional starts. He tallied two outings of at least 11+ strikeouts with no walks allowed, including a 13-strikeout game at Fort Myers on April 26. The 6’4”, southpaw is the second Cardinals minor leaguer to take home Pitcher of the Month honors in his first professional season since 2011, joining RHP Max Rajcic who won the award in June and August of 2023.
“Impressive start for Quinn Mathews in April, with 18.0 innings in four games started, 38 strikeouts and a .115 average against him,” stated LaRocque.
Ranked as the 24th overall Cardinals prospect entering the season by Baseball America, Mathews was selected in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, where he was named the 2023 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year and ranked second in Division I with 158 strikeouts. Mathews was twice named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for April 8-14 and 22-28.
Brian Walton’s take
Congratulations to both honorees. In The Cardinal Nation’s monthly awards previously announced, Mathews was our selection, with then-Memphis infielder José Fermín beating out Church and other finalists.
You can review our analysis of the candidates in these two free articles.
The Cardinal Nation April 2024 Player of the Month – José Fermín
The Cardinal Nation’s April 2024 Pitcher of the Month – Quinn Mathews
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NOTE: As of 11/01/24, this version of the roster matrix is no longer current. It reflects changes during the latter part of the 2024 season. It should now be considered a historical reference document. For the active roster matrix during the 2024-2025 off-season, click here.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ full system view by position and level is updated to reflect rosters and transactions for 2024 short season play.
This newest Roster Matrix covers the St. Louis Cardinals and the entire minor league system, including the MLB club and their four full-season affiliates plus two rookie level teams – for 2024 short season play.
As a reminder, the previous matrix outlined all organizational transactions during the first five weeks of the 2024 regular season.
A refresher
If you are new to The Cardinal Nation and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:
As the 2024 regular season opened for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals organization had 232 players under contract from top to bottom, including a full 40-man roster. The 40-man members are called out in bold.
The matrix places each of the 232 by position at his assigned level in the system as well as by position. The new news is the FCL roster, which is the same as the Extended Spring Training roster shared with members of The Cardinal Nation last month.
Also, all 2024 signed international players not on the FCL roster have been placed on the Dominican Summer League roster. It will need to be cut back to 35 players by June 3.
The matrix is updated whenever transactions occur.
Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization plus a decade of history.
(Do not be concerned about the order of the players’ names within position. It has no relative significance.)
Looking ahead and back
Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right (click on the magnifying glass icon) or use the menu at the left of the page: “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” > “TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MATRIX”.
While you are using that menu, note TCN’s full rosters and player pages for every level and every player in the Cardinals system. These rosters remain in sync with the Roster Matrix and carry biographical information on all players.
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Peoria Chiefs
Palm Beach Cardinals
Florida Complex League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals
For details behind prior years’ rosters and transactions (back to 2009), check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization Roster Matrix, via the following link.
Transactions
5/4: New matrix. 40-man roster full. Organization total: 232 players.
5/4: From DSL to FCL: Ps Juan Severino, Nelfy Ynfante, Ronny Oliver, Yordy Herrera, Jovi Galvez and Yadiel Batista. Also C Heriberto Caraballo, SS Arfeni Batista and OF Yordalin Peña.
5/4: To FCL 7-day IL: Ps Christian Worley, Omar Yanez, OFs Romtres Cabrera, Travis Honeyman. To FCL 60-day IL: Ps Jacob Odle, Bruno Lopez.
5/5: OF Dylan Carlson off StL 10-day IL. C Pedro Pages from StL to Mem.
5/6: RHR Giovanny Gallegos onto StL 15-day IL. RHR Chris Roycroft onto 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. CF Tommy Edman from StL 10-day to 60-day IL. LHR Nick Raquet from Spr to Mem.
5/8: C Willson Contreras to StL 10-day IL. C Pedro Pages from Mem to StL. C Wade Stauss from Spr to Mem. C Luis C, Rodriguez from Peo to Spr.
5/9: RHR Joseph King to Peo 7-day IL.
5/10: LHR Kolton Ingram claimed off waivers, assigned to Mem. RHR Riley O’Brien from StL 10-day to 60-day IL. 40-man roster remains full. New organization total: 233 players.
5/11: 1B Matt Carpenter off StL 10-day IL. IF Jose Fermin from StL to Mem. OF Moises Gomez, RHP Victor Santos to Mem 7-day IL. IF Ramon Mendoza from Mem to Spr. LHP Alex Cornwell from Spr to Mem.
5/13: RHP Cade Winquest to Peo 7-day IL. LHS Quinn Mathews, RHR Gustavo Rodriguez from PB to Peo. OF Chris Rotondo from Spr to Peo. RHR Wilfredo Pereira from Peo to Spr. IF Anyelo Encarnacion from Peo to FCL.
5/14: RHR Randel Clemente from PB to FCL. RHPs Luis Gastelum, Hunter Hayes and Hunter Kublick from FCL to PB. OF Romtres Cabrera off FCL 7-day IL. Mem RHR Josh James released. New organization total: 232 players.
5/17: C Luis A. Rodriguez onto FCL 7-day IL.
5/20: C Chris Lopez from DSL to FCL. RHR Ryan Loutos to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. RHR Chris Roycroft from StL to Mem. Mem IF/OF Alfonso Rivas designated for assignment. 40-man roster remains full.
5/21: RHR Andre Granillo from Spr to Mem. RHR Benito Garcia from Peo to Spr. RHR Angel Cuenca from PB to Peo. LHP Yordy Herrera from FCL to PB.
5/23: 1B/OF Alfonso Rivas cleared outright waivers, remains with Mem.
5/25: FCL OF Romtres Cabrera, RHP Jovi Galvez to FCL 7-day IL. Spr RHP Tekoah Roby, Peo IF Dakota Harris and Peo OF Chris Rotondo to 7-day IL.
5/26: RHR Nick Robertson to StL 15-day IL. RHP Andre Pallante from Mem to StL.
5/27: RHP Omar Yanez off FCL 7-day IL.
5/28: OF Travis Honeyman off FCL 7-day IL. 2B Tre Richardson from PB to Peo.
5/29: RHP Cade Winquest off PB 7-day IL.
5/31: OF Lars Nootbaar to StL 10-day IL. IF Jose Fermin from Mem to StL.
from 2/1: International FA RHP Oliver Gonzalez signed, assigned to DSL. New organization total: 233 players.
6/1: DSL C Luis Atocha, OF Angel Gil, LHP Stiveen Rojas released. New organization total: 230 players.
6/3: RHP Osvaldo Berrios acquired from Gateway of the Frontier League, assigned to Peo. RHP Angel Cuenca from Peo to PB. LHP Yordy Herrera from PB to FCL. New organization total: 231 players.
6/4: IF Dakota Harris, OF Chris Rotondo off Peo 7-day IL. RHR Chris Roycroft from Mem to StL. RHR Ryan Loutos from StL to Mem.
6/10: OF Luis Pino from PB to FCL. LHR Packy Naughton off Mem 7-day IL.
6/11: LHS Cooper Hjerpe from Peo to Spr. LHR Alex Cornwell from Mem to Spr. RHR Victor Santos off Mem 7-day IL. OF Travis Honeyman from FCL to PB.
6/16: RHS Kyle Gibson to StL bereavement list. RHR Ryan Loutos from Mem to StL.
6/18: OF Moises Gomez off Mem 7-day IL. RHS Sem Robberse onto Mem 7-day IL. RHS Cade Winquest to Peo 7-day IL. IF Anyelo Encarnacion from FCL to PB. RHP Jovi Galvez off FCL 7-day IL.
6/19: RHS Kyle Gibson off StL bereavement list. RHR Ryan Loutos from StL to Mem.
6/20: FCL RHR Roblin Heredia released. New organization total: 230 players. RHP Adam Kloffenstein from Mem to StL. RHR Chris Roycroft from StL to Mem. RHS Ian Bedell from Spr to Mem.
6/21: RHP Adam Kloffenstein from StL to Mem. RHR Giovanny Gallegos off StL 15-day IL. RHR Brandon Komar from Mem to Spr. IF/OF Noah Mendlinger to Spr 7-day IL.
6/22: C Ivan Herrera to StL 10-day IL. C Nick Raposo to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. RHR Keynan Middleton from StL15-day to 60-day IL.
6/24: C Willson Contreras off StL 10-day IL. C Nick Raposo from StL to Mem. RHR Nick Robertson off StL 15-day IL, to Mem. Andre Granillo to Mem 7-day IL. LHS Quinn Mathews from Peo to Spr. RHS Darlin Saladin from PB to Peo. OF Romtres Cabrera off FCL 7-day IL.
6/27: 2B Dakota Harris from Peo to Spr. IF Miguel Villarroel from PB to Peo.
6/28: RHP Gordon Graceffo to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. RHR Kyle Leahy from StL to Mem. LHS Steven Matz from StL 15-day to 60-day IL.
6/29: 2B Tre Richardson to Peo 7-day IL.
6/30: RHR Jacob Bosiokovic to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. RHP Gordon Graceffo from StL to Mem. Mem LHR Kolton Ingram designated for assignment.
7/1: OF Jose Suarez from FCL to PB. LHS Zack Thompson to Mem 7-day IL.
7/2: RHR Andre Granillo off Mem 7-day IL. OFs Travis Honeyman and Jose Cordoba onto PB 7-day IL. Mem LHR Kolton Ingram claimed off waivers by SF. New organization total: 229 players.
7/3: RHR Ryan Shreve from Spr to Mem.
7/5: RHR Chris Roycroft from Mem to StL. RHR Jason Bosiokovic from StL to Mem.
7/8: IF Jose Fermin from StL to Mem. OF Lars Nootbaar off StL 10-day IL.
7/9: LHR Packy Naughton to Mem 7-day IL. LHS Cooper Hjerpe to Spr 7-day IL. UT Noah Mendlinger off Spr 7-day IL. IF Tre Richardson off Peo 7-day IL. IF Johnfrank Salazar from PB to Peo. 3B Osvaldo Tovalin released. New organization total: 228 players.
7/11: C Maikel Hernandez to PB 7-day IL. C Alejandro Loaiza from FCL to PB. RHP Miguel Martinez to FCL Full Season Injured List.
7/12: C Ivan Herrera from StL 10-day IL to Mem. C Wade Stauss from Mem to Spr. SS Brody Moore to Peo temporarily inactive list.
7/13: RHR Osvaldo Berrios from Peo to Spr. RHR Benito Garcia from Spr to Mem.
7/14: PB OF Jose Cordoba off 7-day IL.
7/15: RHR Osvaldo Berrios from Spr to Peo. RHR Benito Garcia from Mem to Spr. SS Brody Moore off Peo temporarily inactive list.
7/17: NDFA LHP Michael Watson signed. New organization total: 229 players.
7/22: 14 2024 draft picks signed: RHP Ryan Holiday (3), LHP Braden Davis (5), RHP Andrew Dutkanych (7), LHP Jack Findlay (8), 3B Cade McGee (9), OF Bryce Madron (10), SS Jon Jon Gazdar (11), OF Ian Petrutz (12), RHP Nolan Sparks (13), RHP Mason Burns (14), RHP Sam Brodersen (15), 3B Deniel Ortiz (16), SS Christian Martin (18), LHP Owen Rice (20). New organization total: 243 players.
7/23: 2024 draft picks SS J.J. Wetherholt (1), C Josh Kross (6) and RHP Brandt Thompson (17) signed. Wetherholt assigned to the FCL. Contract of Mem IF/OF Jared Young sold to Doosan of the KBO. New organization total: 245 players. OF Zach Levenson to Peo 7-day IL.
7/24: C Ryan Campos (4) signed. New organization total: 246 players.
7/25: RHS Adam Kloffenstein to Mem 7-day IL. RHP Benjamin Arias from PB to Peo. RHPs Randel Clemente and Leonel Sequera from FCL to PB. Four FCL players released: RHPs Omar Yanez, Victor Villanueva, Wilmer Ortega and 3B Raul Guzman. New organization total: 242 players.
7/26: LHS Zack Thompson off Mem 7-day IL. DSL RHR Kener Perez suspended for 56 games.
7/27: LHR Nathanael Heredia from Peo to Spr. Spr C Luis C Rodriguez released. New organization total: 241 players.
7/28: StL RHR Giovanny Gallegos designated for assignment. RHR Kyle Leahy from Mem to StL. 40-man roster at 39 players.
7/29: CF Tommy Edman from StL 60-day IL to LAD. RHS Erick Fedde and OF Tommy Pham from CWS to StL.DSL RHP Oliver Gonzalez from DSL to LAD. Mem C Nick Raposo designated for assignment. 40-man roster is full.
7/30: StL OF Dylan Carlson traded to Tampa Bay for RHR Shawn Armstrong. Mem OF Moises Gomez released. OF Mike Antico from Spr to Mem. RHS Trent Baker to Spr 7-day IL. OF Chris Rotondo from Peo to Spr. OF Joshua Baez, 1B William Sullivan from Peo to PB Developmental List. OF Chase Davis, RHR Hunter Hayes, LHS Ixan Henderson, OF Kade Kretzschmar, IF Trey Paige from PB to Peo. RHR Ettore Giulianelli, IF Adari Grant, C Alejandro Loaiza from PB to FCL. NDFA RHP Michael Watson to PB.
Nine draft picks to PB: SS J.J. Wetherholt (1), C Ryan Campos (4), C Josh Kross (6), 3B Cade McGee (9), OF Bryce Madron (10), SS Jon Jon Gazdar (11), OF Ian Petrutz (12), RHP Nolan Sparks (13), 2B Christian Martin (18).
Nine remaining draft picks to FCL: RHP Bryan Holiday (3), LHP Braden Davis (5), RHP Andrew Dutkanych (7), LHP Jack Findlay (8), RHP Mason Burns (14), RHP Sam Brodersen (15), 3B Deniel Ortiz (16), RHP Brandt Thompson (17), LHP Owen Rice (20). New organization total: 240 players.
7/31: RHS Michael McGreevy to 40-man, from Mem to StL. RHS Lance Lynn to StL 15-day IL. RHR Ryan Loutos from Mem to StL. RHR Chris Roycroft from StL to Mem. Mem RHR Jason Bosiokovic designated for assignment. 40-man roster remains full.
LHP Alex Cornwell from Spr to Mem. RHR Zane Mills from Peo to Spr. RHR Gustavo Rodriguez to Peo 7-day IL. RHR Hunter Kublick to PB TI list.
8/1: RHS Michael McGreevy and RHR Ryan Loutos from StL to Mem as RHS Erick Fedde and RHR Shawn Armstrong are activated by StL. FCL LHP Alexander Beltre, C Justin Guerrero and 2B Samil De La Rosa released. OF Travis Honeyman and C Maikel Hernandez from PB 7-day IL to FCL. Mem C Nick Raposo claimed off waivers by Toronto. New organization total: 236 players.
8/1 (approx): Mem LHP Packy Naughton to full-season IL.
8/2: StL RHR Giovanny Gallegos cleared waivers and elected free agency. RHR Jacob Bosiokovic cleared waivers and was outrighted to Mem. New organization total: 235 players.
8/4: CF Michael Siani to StL 10-day IL. CF Victor Scott from Mem to StL. PB RHP Hunter Kublick off TI list.
7/26: Missed transaction. FCL C Luis A Rodriguez released. New organization total: 234 players.
8/5: RHR Zack Showalter to PB 7-day IL.
8/6: RHP Nelfy Ynfante from FCL to PB. C Wade Stauss from Spr to Mem. C Carlos Linarez from Peo to Spr. C Chase Adkison from PB to Peo. C Heriberto Caraballo from FCL to PB.
8/7: LHP Alex Cornwell from Mem to Spr. RHS Ian Bedell to Mem 7-day IL.
8/9: SS Brody Moore to Peo 7-day IL.
8/11: RHR Riley O’Brien off StL 60-day IL, optioned to Mem. RHR Nick Robertson designated for assignment. 40-man roster remains full.
8/12: UT Matt Carpenter to StL 10-day IL. OF Jordan Walker from Mem to StL.
8/13: IF Ramon Mendoza from Spr to Mem. IF Arquimedes Gamboa to Mem 7-day IL. OF Brayden Jobert from PB to Peo. RHR Zack Showalter off PB 7-day IL. Mem RHR Nick Robertson claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels. New organization total: 233 players.
8/15: RHR Wilking Rodriguez off Mem 7-day IL.
8/16: SS Brody Moore off Peo 7-day IL. RHR Zack Showalter back to PB 7-day IL.
8/17: RHP Aaron Holiday acquired from York of the Atlantic League, assigned to FCL. New organization total: 234 players.
8/19: IF Trey Paige to Peo 7-day IL. Peo RHR Gustavo Rodriguez and FCL 1B/OF Miguel Vargas released. New organization total: 232 players.
8/20: OF Joshua Baez from PB Developmental List to active roster. 1B William Sullivan from PB Developmental List to FCL. OF Jordan Walker from StL to Mem. 1B Luken Baker from Mem to StL. 1B Matt Carpenter off StL 10-day IL. StL SS Brandon Crawford released. 40-man roster at 39. New organization total: 231 players.
8/21: 1B Chandler Redmond from Spr to Mem. 2B Nolan Gorman from StL to Mem. IF Jose Fermin from Mem to StL.
8/22: RHS Keiverson Ramirez from DSL to FCL.
8/23: RHP Austin Love from Peo 60-day IL to FCL.
8/25: C Willson Contreras to StL 10-day IL. C Ivan Herrera from Mem to StL.
8/27: C Jimmy Crooks to Spr 7-day IL. C Leonardo Bernal from Peo to Spr. RHP Trent Baker off Spr 7-day IL. IF Trey Paige off Peo 7-day IL. IF Johnfrank Salazar to Peoria 7-day IL. C Sammy Hernandez from PB to Peo. RHPs Cade Winquest, Joseph King from Peo 7-day IL to the FCL. StL RHR Shawn Armstrong designated for assignment. RHR Riley O’Brien from Mem to StL. 40-man roster at 38 players.
8/28: LHS Quinn Mathews from Spr to Mem.
8/29: RHS Sem Robberse off Mem 7-day IL. C Chance Sisco acquired from Long Island of the Atlantic League, assigned to Triple-A Memphis. New organization total: 232 players.
8/30: StL OF Tommy Pham designated for assignment. OF Jordan Walker from Mem to StL. RHR Shawn Armstrong claimed off waivers by Cubs. New organization total: 231 players. 40-man roster now at 37 players.
8/31: StL OF Tommy Pham claimed off waivers by Kansas City. New organization total: 230 players.
9/1: StL roster expansion from 26 to 28. StL LHS Steven Matz off 60-day IL. StL CF Michael Siani off 10-day IL. 40-man roster now at 38 players.
9/3: C Maikel Hernandez from FCL to PB. C Rainiel Rodriguez from DSL to FCL. FCL RHR Ettore Giulianelli, FCL OF Felix Taveras released. New organization total: 228 players.
9/6: OF Chase Davis from Peo to Spr.
9/7: RHR Kyle Leahy from StL to Mem. RHR Chris Roycroft from Mem to StL.
9/9: IF Arquimedes Gamboa off Mem 7-day IL. C Jimmy Crooks off Spr 7-day IL. C Sammy Hernandez and SS Brody Moore from Peo to Spr Development List.
9/10: RHS Tekoah Roby off Spr 7-day IL. CF Victor Scott from StL to Mem. IF Thomas Saggese to 40-man roster, from Mem to StL. 40-man roster now at 39 players.
9/11: RHS Lance Lynn off StL 15-day IL. RHR Chris Roycroft from StL to Mem.
9/15: RHR Ryan Shreve from Mem to Spr.
9/17: LHS Alex Cornwell to Spr 7-day IL. RHS Tekoah Roby did not come off Spr 7-day IL on 9/10 as previously reported by the team.
9/18: RHS Lance Lynn to StL 15-day IL. RHS Michael McGreevy from Mem to StL.
9/20: RHS Ian Bedell off Mem 7-day IL.
9/21: RHS Sonny Gray to StL 15-day IL. RHR Kyle Leahy from Mem to StL.
9/24: 1B Luken Baker to StL paternity list. OF Victor Scott from Mem to StL.
9/25: LHR JoJo Romero to StL 15-day IL. RHR Chris Roycroft from Mem to StL.
9/26: 1B Luken Baker off StL paternity list. OF Victor Scott from StL to Mem. Five released from Mem: LHP Rick Raquet, RHP Wilking Rodriguez, RHP Jacob Bosiokovic, IF Alfonso Rivas, IF Nick Dunn. New organization total: 223 players.
retro to 9/9: Peo RHR Roy Garcia released. New organization total: 222 players.
10/1 (approx): Spr RHRs Wilfredo Pereira and Benito Garcia released. New organization total: 220 players.
10/29: DSL RHP Jose Suriel released. New organiazation total 219 players.
The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 10/29/24)
| St. Louis (28+6) | 40-man (39+2) | ||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Gray (15 IL) | Liberatore (L) | W Contreras (10 IL) | Goldschmidt | Donovan | Winn | Arenado | Nootbaar |
| Mikolas | Middleton (60 IL) | Pages | Carpenter | Fermin | Siani | ||
| Matz (L) | Helsley | I Herrera | L Baker | Saggese | Walker | ||
| Lynn (15 IL) | Romero (L 15 IL) | Burleson | |||||
| Gibson | John King (L) | ||||||
| Pallante | O’Brien | ||||||
| Fedde | Kittredge | ||||||
| McGreevy | Fernandez (R5) | ||||||
| Rom (L 60 IL) | |||||||
| Leahy | |||||||
| Roycroft | |||||||
| Memphis (20+2) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Graceffo | Naughton (L FSIL) | Stauss | Redmond | Gorman | Gamboa | R Mendoza | Koperniak |
| Kloffenstein (7 IL) | Loutos | Collins | Prieto | Antico | |||
| Bedell | Santos | Sisco | Scott | ||||
| Robberse | Granillo | ||||||
| Z Thompson (L) | C Thomas (L) | ||||||
| Mathews (L) | |||||||
| Springfield (26+5) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Hence | T Baker | Crooks | Yeager | Torres | J Rivas | Buchberger | Lloyd |
| Roby (7 IL) | Svanson | McKeithan | Harris | Moore (Dev List) | Mendlinger | Church | |
| Komar | Ralston | Linarez | Rotondo | ||||
| Rajcic | Marrero | Bernal | C Davis | ||||
| Hjerpe (L 7 IL) | E Nunez | S Hernandez (Dev List) | |||||
| Cornwell (L 7 IL) | Shreve | ||||||
| L Taveras | |||||||
| Mills | |||||||
| N Heredia (L) | |||||||
| Peoria (23+2) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Saladin | Brady | Adkison | Richardson | Villarroel | Curialle | Moquete | |
| Paniagua | Arias | Tarlow | Paige | Salazar (7 IL) | Levenson (7 IL) | ||
| Hansen (L) | D Rodriguez | Iadisernia | |||||
| Rincon | Hayes | Jobert | |||||
| Mautz (L) | Berrios | Cho | |||||
| Henderson (L) | Jacobson | Kretzschmar | |||||
| Palm Beach (29+3) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Savacool | H Gomez | Caraballo | Friedrick | A Encarnacion | Espinoza | McGee (9) | Cordoba |
| Lin | Cuenca | M Hernandez | Kross (6) | Wetherholt (1) | J Suarez | ||
| Davila | Clemente | Campos (4) | Gazdar (11) | Petrutz (12) | |||
| G Salas | Willis (7 IL) | Martin (18) | Jo Baez | ||||
| Sequera | Calderon | Madron (10) | |||||
| Showalter (7 IL) | |||||||
| Kublick | |||||||
| Gastelum | |||||||
| Carpenter (60 IL) | |||||||
| Watson (L FA) | |||||||
| Sparks (13) | |||||||
| FL Complex (37+4) | |||||||
| P (returning) | P (returning) | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Menes | M Martinez (FSIL) | C Lopez | Sullivan | Y Guerrero | R Cabrera | ||
| Odle (60 IL) | Fabian | Loaiza | Mejia | Y Ramos | |||
| Love | B Lopez (60 IL) | Grant | Pino | ||||
| Winquest | A Holiday | Honeyman | |||||
| Jos King | Cuello | ||||||
| Ynfante | |||||||
| (1st year 2024) | (from 2023 DSL) | (first year 2024) | (from 2023 DSL) | (from 2023 DSL) | |||
| Harrison | Severino | Ra Rodriguez | A Batista | D Ortiz (16) | Y Pena | ||
| Worley (7 IL) | Y Herrera (L) | ||||||
| R Holiday (3) | Oliver | ||||||
| B Davis (L 5) | Y Batista (L) | ||||||
| Dutkanych (7) | Galvez | ||||||
| Findlay (L 8) | |||||||
| Burns (14) | (from 2024 DSL) | ||||||
| Brodersen (15) | K Ramirez | ||||||
| B Thompson (17) | |||||||
| Rice (L 20) | |||||||
| DSL (30+4) | |||||||
| P (2022/prior) | P (1st year 2023) | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Paulino | Asprilla | B Taveras | Junco | D Rojas | Roquez | ||
| E Carrera | Velasquez | ||||||
| R Lopez | Almonte (60 IL) | ||||||
| P (first year 2024) | K Perez (SL) | Arthur | |||||
| Correa (60 IL) | Ja Baez | ||||||
| Franco | X Cruz | ||||||
| Reyes | Mack (L) | ||||||
| Chinchilla | G Vargas | ||||||
| J Garcia | G Martinez | (first year 2024) | (first year 2024) | (first year 2024) | (first year 2024) | ||
| Ry Rodriguez (60 IL) | A Bolivar | JP Cabrera | Saez | Lebron | Ortiz (16) | Amoroso | |
| Zulueta | Moran | Guribe | Padilla | Lucena | |||
| J Hernandez | |||||||
| Signed, unassigned (0) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| 2024 Draft unsigned (1) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Lawson (19) |
Codes
(#): round player drafted in 2024
(FA): non-drafted free agent
(DFA): designated for assignment
(TI): temporarily inactive list
(PL): paternity leave
(RL): restricted list
(SL): suspended list
(FSIL): full season injured list
(Dev L): Developmental list
(L): left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#): for teams, the number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (IL+TI+PL+RL) players
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
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.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: José Fermín (Memphis Redbirds)
By a considerable margin, The Cardinal Nation’s choice as the top hitter in the St. Louis Cardinals system during April is then-Memphis infielder José Fermín, who bested seven other finalists.
This article details the selection of The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Month. Considered were offensive results during April across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The winner as well as a group of seven runners up are highlighted.
Starting with the usual 60 plate appearances requirement, a total of 35 hitters in the system qualified. Seven further separated themselves with OPSes above .800, but just one was over .914 and in fact, well over that mark, making this a relatively easy decision.
Memphis middle infielder José Fermín, now with St. Louis, is our winner.
Demographics
Double-A Springfield led the way with three finalists while Palm Beach and Memphis had two apiece. High-A Peoria trailed with one.
As an aside, the Midwest League club could use some offensive help from below (or even above), as the Chiefs are at or near the bottom of their circuit in many key hitting stats. Peoria’s team OPS is just .682, 11th of 12 Midwest League teams.
Reminder
Please remember, this is NOT the “Player of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here, either.
We will take two views of the data. The first look will be basic stats, followed by rate stats. Names are listed in the same sequence in both tables, in descending OPS order.
Basic stats
| Hitter | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| José Fermín | Mem | 18 | 72 | 60 | 16 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0.350 | 0.458 | 0.650 | 1.108 |
| Nathan Church* | Spr | 20 | 97 | 86 | 17 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 0.349 | 0.402 | 0.512 | 0.914 |
| Sammy Hernandez | PB | 14 | 67 | 56 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0.339 | 0.448 | 0.464 | 0.912 |
| Bryan Torres* | Spr | 17 | 81 | 68 | 14 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 0.353 | 0.425 | 0.456 | 0.881 |
| Kade Kretzschmar* | PB | 18 | 82 | 66 | 14 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 0.303 | 0.415 | 0.439 | 0.854 |
| Zach Levenson | Peo | 19 | 79 | 68 | 10 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 17 | 0.294 | 0.380 | 0.471 | 0.850 |
| R.J. Yeager | Spr | 20 | 91 | 81 | 16 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0.284 | 0.330 | 0.494 | 0.824 |
| César Prieto* | Mem | 24 | 97 | 95 | 13 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0.326 | 0.333 | 0.484 | 0.818 |
| * left-handed batter |
R.J. Yeager’s system-leading total of 19 RBI (in 20 games) is impressive but was just one ahead of a less likely hitter, his Springfield teammate Nathan Church.
Also tied with Church at 18 RBI is Memphis first baseman Luken Baker. The latter, our April Hitter of the Year in 2023, has been scuffling in 2024, however, with a .210 batting average and .726 OPS this April. Still, Yeager and Baker tied for the system home run lead with five apiece.
Newcomer Bryan Torres, second baseman for Springfield, shared the system lead with seven doubles (along with non-finalist Chase Davis). The 26-year-old Torres also topped the organization with nine stolen bases in April.
The top three hitters in OPS also are the only finalists with more walks than strikeouts, but Fermín’s 11 walks against just three strikeouts is nothing short of exceptional.
And while we are at it, because Fermín led the system in all four slash stats (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS), his choice as Player of the Month is sealed. The exclamation point is his OPS of 1.108, which is a whopping 194 points higher than the closest competitor (Church at .914).
The youngest player among the finalists, 20-year-old Palm Beach catcher Sammy Hernandez, deserves a shout out for his .912 OPS, just a hair behind Church and third in the system.
First month offensive strugglers among ranked prospects include Memphis outfielder Moises Gomez (.595 with just two home runs), Peoria outfielders Won-Bin Cho (.623) and Joshua Baez (.670) and Memphis second baseman Thomas Saggese (.691).
Advanced stats
| Hitter | Tm | PA | BB% | K% | ISO | BABIP | wRC+ |
| José Fermín | Mem | 72 | 9.8 | 13.1 | 0.300 | 0.321 | 183 |
| Nathan Church* | Spr | 97 | 8.9 | 6.9 | 0.156 | 0.329 | 139 |
| Sammy Hernandez | PB | 67 | 12.2 | 10.8 | 0.113 | 0.370 | 161 |
| Bryan Torres* | Spr | 81 | 12.9 | 15.3 | 0.099 | 0.400 | 140 |
| Kade Kretzschmar* | PB | 82 | 14.1 | 19.6 | 0.120 | 0.362 | 144 |
| Zach Levenson | Peo | 79 | 10.3 | 20.7 | 0.160 | 0.375 | 138 |
| R.J. Yeager | Spr | 91 | 7.4 | 9.5 | 0.212 | 0.257 | 120 |
| César Prieto* | Mem | 97 | 2.8 | 13.2 | 0.176 | 0.325 | 109 |
| * left-handed batter |
(thanks to Fangraphs for the stats)
As we get into additional stats, we see that good fortune in the guise of a high BABIP (.362 to .400) benefited four of the finalists – Hernandez, Torres, Kade Kretzschmar and Zach Levenson.
The exception was Yeager, who excelled despite BABIP misfortune at just .257.
The same four high BABIP players also led the finalists in walk rates, with Palm Beach outfielder Kretzschmar leading the way at 14.1%.
At 6.9%, Church posted the lowest strikeout rate among finalists, with Yeager coming in just under 10% and Hernandez only slightly over.
In Isolated Power, ISO, again Yeager’s .212 was very impressive, but it was blown away by Fermín’s .300 ISO.
In weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), Fermín is once again tops with an exceptional 183, 83% above his league average, with Hernandez a distant second at 161.
When all is said and done, Fermín’s exceptional results across the board gives him the honors as The Cardinal Nation’s April Player of the Month.
About the winner
After a strong 2024 spring camp with St. Louis, Fermín continued to hit with Memphis and in fact, dominated International League pitching. At the time of his April promotion to replace slumping Jordan Walker, Fermín was third in the IL batting race. The infielder was also third in OBP and slugging and second in OPS. Fermín led the Redbirds with seven multi-hit games this season.
Fermín, 25, was acquired by the Cardinals from Cleveland for cash considerations in November 2022. After spending the first half of 2023 with Memphis, Fermín joined St. Louis early last July for the first of three big-league stints. He is versatile defensively, but was not impressive with the bat, logging a .594 OPS in 61 plate appearances over 21 games.
As Fermín is primarily a middle infielder and third baseman, positions well covered by others on the roster, he has played very sparingly since rejoining St. Louis. With Dylan Carlson and Matt Carpenter currently playing in minor league rehab games, Fermín’s remaining time with St. Louis is probably limited.
However, his April Player of the Month award will endure!
What is next?
The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections of April Player and Pitcher of the Month in the upcoming days.
Related article
The Cardinal Nation’s April 2024 Pitcher of the Month – Quinn Mathews
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Steven Matz (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced the placement of starting pitcher Steven Matz on the 15-day injured list. His temporary replacement is right-handed reliever Kyle Leahy.
St. Louis Cardinals announcement
On Friday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced two player transactions.
Matz, 33, is in the midst of another uneven season, his third with St. Louis. Through six starts, the lefty has a 6.18 ERA. He made team officials aware of his sore back prior to his most recent start, when he allowed four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
Matz’ next appearance was to be Sunday, but due to days off, the team slid the opening to this coming Tuesday. The best starter at Memphis right now, Sem Robberse, would be on normal rest Tuesday.
Likely at that time, Leahy will be returned to Memphis.
Leahy, 27, was returned to the 40-man roster to serve as the 27th man for St. Louis’ doubleheader on Tuesday. In Game 2, he allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings and was returned to Memphis after the game.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Quinn Mathews (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Opening his professional career with a bang, Palm Beach left-handed starter Quinn Mathews put together the top overall pitching performance in the St. Louis Cardinals system in April.
It is time to select The Cardinal Nation’s first Pitcher of the Month for 2024. This article covers pitchers across all levels of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system during April.
As a reminder, this is NOT the “Pitcher of the Month Among Top Prospects”. Every player in the system has an equal chance, with only their performance during the month used to differentiate the best of the best. Age and level, which are key prospect considerations, are not factors here.
Guidelines
To qualify, a pitcher must have thrown at least 10 innings during April. 39 of 64 total pitchers made the first cut. To reach the short list of seven finalists, an ERA below 1.60 was required.
In fact, all seven came in between 0.50 and 0.84 for the month! Any would be an exceptional selection, but the ERA leader was truly dominant.
The finalists represent all four full-season levels of the organization currently playing, from Low-A Palm Beach up through Triple-A Memphis. The Beach Birds lead the pack with three finalists, including the top two in ERA.
Two are starters and five are relievers, including one closer. Unusually, the two starters logged the lowest ERAs.
Counting Stats
In the following table, the finalists are listed in ascending ERA order.
| Pitcher | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
| Quinn Mathews* | PB | 2 | 0 | 0.50 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 0.89 |
| Juan Salas | PB | 1 | 0 | 0.53 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0.71 |
| Nick Raquet* | Spr | 0 | 0 | 0.63 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 0.98 |
| Joseph King | Peo | 0 | 0 | 0.77 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11.2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.69 |
| Chris Roycroft | Mem | 0 | 0 | 0.82 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 1.00 |
| Ryan Shreve | Spr | 1 | 0 | 0.82 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0.46 |
| Henry Gomez | PB | 1 | 0 | 0.84 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0.94 |
| * left-handed |
OK, you are probably wondering where three of the most talked about pitchers in the system this season are. So, here is the next block of nine pitchers, whose ERAs are between 1.64 and 2.87.
| Pitcher | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP |
| Chen-Wei Lin | PB | 2 | 1 | 1.64 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0.77 |
| Ettore Giulianelli | PB | 0 | 0 | 1.80 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 16 | 1.50 |
| Zane Mills | Peo | 3 | 0 | 1.80 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 1.00 |
| Sem Robberse | Mem | 3 | 0 | 1.82 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 29.2 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 0.91 |
| Tink Hence | Spr | 3 | 0 | 2.10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 25.2 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 31 | 0.74 |
| Connor Thomas* | Mem | 1 | 0 | 2.25 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 1.15 |
| Cade Winquest | Peo | 0 | 2 | 2.45 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18.1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 1.15 |
| Andre Granillo | Spr | 3 | 0 | 2.53 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 1.31 |
| Benjamin Arias | PB | 1 | 0 | 2.87 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15.2 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0.83 |
We are not going to mention Chen-Wei Lin, Sem Robberse or Tink Hence (or the other six) again in this article – other than to note that in many months, any of the three could have been our winner. But that is not the case for April 2024.
So, back to the seven finalists.
Despite his exceptionally low ERA of 0.50, Palm Beach’s Quinn Mathews did not initially stand head and shoulders above the other candidates.
Yet, the 23-year-old lefty accomplished that differentiation with his system-leading and amazing 38 strikeouts. Mathews accomplished this in just 18 innings, while several other pitchers were approaching 30 innings and still fell short of his 38 Ks. A bit surprisingly, Mathews was the only finalist with more than one win.
Again, all seven had great results, but especially eye-catching was Peoria closer Joseph King’s no walks in 11 2/3 innings and Springfield’s Ryan Shreve’s three hits allowed in 11 innings and minuscule 0.46 WHIP. King also converted four saves in five opportunities.
Advanced stats
Here are additional statistics from the seven finalists in the same ascending ERA sequence.
| Pitcher | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | K/BB | BAA | BABIP | WHIP | ERA | FIP |
| Quinn Mathews* | 18.0 | 19.0 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 0.115 | 0.273 | 0.89 | 0.50 | 1.77 |
| Juan Salas | 17.0 | 12.2 | 2.1 | 5.8 | 0.184 | 0.260 | 0.71 | 0.53 | 2.84 |
| Nick Raquet* | 14.1 | 8.2 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.185 | 0.256 | 0.98 | 0.63 | 3.05 |
| Joseph King | 11.2 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 0.190 | 0.276 | 0.69 | 0.77 | 1.58 | |
| Chris Roycroft | 11.0 | 7.4 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 0.186 | 0.212 | 1.00 | 0.82 | 4.76 |
| Ryan Shreve | 11.0 | 9.8 | 1.6 | 6.0 | 0.081 | 0.083 | 0.46 | 0.82 | 3.16 |
| Henry Gomez | 10.2 | 7.6 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.171 | 0.219 | 0.94 | 0.84 | 3.04 |
| * left-handed |
Mathews, Salas and King led the strikeout parade, with the former’s 19.0 Ks per nine innings almost unheard of, especially for a starter.
After King, Shreve and Juan Salas of Palm Beach were stingiest with free passes, at 1.6 per nine innings and 2.1, respectively.
Putting aside King’s infinite strikeout to walk ratio, Shreve, Salas and Mathews come in next at 6.0, 5.8 and 4.2 per nine, respectively.
All seven pitchers held opposing hitters to a collective batting average under .200, but Shreve (.081) and Mathews (.115) were the clear best of the best.
BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) is where Shreve’s candidacy loses steam. His amazingly low .083 mark suggests considerable good fortune that should balance out over time.
The two highest BABIPs are King at .276 and Mathews at .273. Both are a tad lower than average, but not enough to put their overall April performances into question, as it does for several others.
FIP or Fielding Independent Pitching again singles out King (1.58) and Mathews (1.77) as the only two of the seven coming in under 2.00.
When considering all results, system-wide ERA and strikeout leader Mathews is the choice as The Cardinal Nation’s April Pitcher of the Month.
About the winner
Mathews played four years at Stanford University and was used to pitching in big games, including three consecutive years in the College World Series and performing well in the Cape Cod League.
Despite his success, the 6-foot-5 left-hander, ranked as the no. 86 draft-eligible prospect by MLB Pipeline, was still available when the Cardinals’ turn came in the fourth round at no. 122 overall. A very heavy collegiate pitching workload, including a 156-pitch outing that spring, may have been one reason.
With four effective pitches and strikeout stuff, Matthews was the first arm taken by St. Louis in the 2023 draft, after two outfielders (and a forfeited pick). However, likely because of Matthews’ spring workload, the Cardinals held off his professional debut until 2024. Primarily for the reason, he debuted at a relatively conservative no. 24 on The Cardinal Nation’s 2024 prospect list.
The 23-year-old came out with guns blazing, twice earning Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honors in April. Mathews should be earning his way to the High-A Midwest League soon.
Significantly more background on Mathews is available here for members of The Cardinal Nation:
What is next?
Next, The Cardinal Nation will announce our Player of the Month for April across the system. The Cardinals organization should also name their own selections in the upcoming days.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of new scouting reports and much more.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Welcome Back Minor Leaguers from the Injured ListOn Tuesday, April 30, the St. Louis Cardinals activated five players from the seven-day injured list, but also returned a prospect to the IL. The major league club also made a 40-man roster move.
Cardinals Adjust Memphis Roster MixWith this week’s Jordan Walker-Jose Fermin transactions affecting the Memphis Redbirds roster, further position-balancing adjustments followed on Thursday, April 25.
photo: Jordan Walker (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Two members of the slumping St. Louis Cardinals (10-14, five games out of first) were sent down to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, April 24.
We have recalled INF José Fermín and LHP John King from Memphis (AAA).
LHP Zack Thompson and OF Jordan Walker have been optioned to Memphis.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 24, 2024
Right fielder Jordan Walker and left-handed pitcher Zack Thompson began 2024 with poor results, leading to their demotion. Replacing them on St. Louis’ active roster are infielder Jose Fermin and left-handed reliever John King.
Walker, 21, a former top prospect in baseball and one-time no. 1 Cardinals prospect, is slashing .155/.239/.259/.497 including only nine hits, four for extra bases, but no home runs to begin his second MLB season.
While Walker’s defense was improved in 2024, with a current Defensive Runs Saved of 1, compared to -16 in 2023, his hitting has declined substantially, from an OPS+ of 114 last year to 41 currently.
The Cardinals have asked Walker to reset, adjust his swing, regain his confidence, and earn his return to St. Louis. One can only hope some combination of less pressure, different coaching and pitching of lower quality in the International League will enable Walker to cure his ills. Interestingly, Walker was also sent down to Memphis in late April 2023, a stay that lasted about a month.
Alec Burleson seems a prime candidate to see more regular time in the starting outfield for St. Louis. Brendan Donovan is another possibility.
With this move, the Cardinals are again down to just one active outfielder from their top four coming into spring camp. Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson remain on the injured list. Lars Nootbaar recently returned from his own injury, but has yet to hit his stride offensively.
Thompson, 26, entered spring camp in competition for a rotation spot after a good finish to 2023. However, with five veterans ahead of him, Thompson only made the starting five due to Sonny Gray missing his first two starts due to a hamstring injury.
Thompson’s two fill-in starts went poorly, with a 6.97 ERA, as he was charged with eight runs including four home runs in 10 innings. His third relief outing of 2024 was on Tuesday, during which he allowed two inherited runners to score along with seven runs of his own, including two more long balls, in 2 2/3 innings. That raised his relief ERA to 13.50.
Lacking a clear sixth starter at this time, the Cardinals want Thompson to work out of the Memphis rotation, following the same comments they made about Andre Pallante the other day. This leads to a Triple-A numbers challenge to watch.
The Memphis rotation has gotten really crowded. There are five incumbents – Graceffo, McGreevy, Robberse, Kloffenstein and Santos. Now, Pallante and Thompson have joined from the #STLCards. Whenever Rom is ready, that will make eight.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) April 24, 2024
Fermin, 25, was acquired by the Cardinals from Cleveland for cash considerations in November 2022. After spending the first half of 2023 with Memphis, Fermin joined St. Louis in early July for the first of three big-league stints. He is versatile defensively, but was not impressive with the bat, logging a .594 OPS in 61 plate appearances over 21 games.
After a strong 2024 spring camp with St. Louis, Fermin continued to hit with Memphis, earning this promotion. In 72 plate appearances over 18 Triple-A games, the right-handed hitter is slashing .350/.458/.650/1.108.
Coming into Tuesday, Fermin was third in the IL batting race. The infielder was also third in OBP and slugging and second in OPS. Fermin leads the Redbirds with seven multi-hit games this season.
As Fermin is primarily a middle infielder and third baseman, positions well covered by others on the roster, it is unclear where and how often he will play with St. Louis.
King, 29, is an early leader on the I-55 shuttle between Memphis and St. Louis. After missing the end of camp due to illness, the lefty did not make the big-league team initially. King was called up on March 31 and sent back down on April 9 when Gray was activated.
With Memphis, in 5 1/3 innings over six games, King allowed two runs (3.38 ERA) on six hits, no walks and five strikeouts. He has a 1-0 record and two saves in two opportunities.
Earlier this season, in two outings totaling 2 1/3 innings with St. Louis, King allowed one run on three hits, including a home run, walked none and struck out four.
Results aside, the choice of King for this recall seems most straightforward, as he was the last reliever with Memphis who has a spot on St. Louis’ 40-man roster.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2024 Cardinals Extended Spring Training UpdateBrian Walton reviews schedules and players competing on the back fields of Jupiter, Florida in preparation for the rookie-level 2024 Florida Complex League.
Cardinals Send Down Victor Scott and Andre PallantePrior to Sunday’s game, the St. Louis Cardinals turned over two roster spots, a relief pitcher and a position player.
Red-Hot Springfield Cardinals Deal with Player LossesOn Saturday, April 20, the St. Louis Cardinals announced two player transactions. In both cases, the Double-A Springfield Cardinals lost active players.
Cardinals Pitching for Now, the Draft and the Trade DeadlineBrian Walton reviews the dynamics of the pitching acquisitions from last July, considers the options for St. Louis’ no. 6 starter and anticipates how the play of the 2024 Cardinals may again affect the July draft and the trade deadline.
Peoria Chiefs Lose Alex Iadisernia to InjuryThe 5-6 Peoria Chiefs have lost a key member of their offense. On Thursday, April 18, the High-A club placed outfielder Alex Iadisernia on the seven-day injured list.
Where are The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospects?Brian Walton outlines team assignments for the St. Louis Cardinals top 50 prospects as they opened the 2024 regular season.
Cardinals Juggle Palm Beach Mound StaffThe St. Louis Cardinals’ Low-A Palm Beach club has two new relief pitchers, one from above and one from below. As a result of Monday’s moves, High-A Peoria is down two players.
Memphis Redbirds Place Wilking Rodriguez on the ILRelief pitcher Wilking Rodriguez of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds is out again due to injury.
photo: Lars Nootbaar (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals get their starting left fielder back from injury while sending their third catcher down to Triple-A.
On Thursday, April 11, the St. Louis Cardinals announced two transactions:
– Left fielder Lars Nootbaar activated from the 10-day injured list.
– Catcher Pedro Pagés optioned to Triple-A Memphis.
These moves were originally expected earlier in the week. However, they were delayed because Willson Contreras’ sore hand, the result of a hit-by-pitch in San Diego, restricted him from catching. Pagés was kept as a reserve behind Ivan Herrera.
Nootbaar’s rehab was moved from Memphis to Springfield this week, but he played just one game as the Double-A Cards were rained out on Wednesday. The 26-year-old finished his six games in the minors, five at Triple-A, playing in left field, right field and designated hitter. At the plate, the left-handed hitter went 4-for-21 (.190) including a double. Nootbaar drew four walks and struck out five times.
Nootbaar is expected to return to his starting role in left field for St. Louis. That leaves Alec Burleson and Herrera to join Brendan Donovan to compete for looks at designated hitter.
This spring, Nootbaar had played in just four games before suffering two non-displaced rib fractures in a Grapefruit League game on March 2. So, all told, he missed just short of seven weeks.
In his first stint in the major leagues, Pagés appeared in one game. On Sunday, April 7 against Miami, he made his debut, striking out as a pinch hitter.
Pagés will return to his role as the starting catcher for Memphis – until St. Louis again has a need.
With these moves, St. Louis’ injured list is down to six players – pitchers Keynan Middleton, Drew Rom and Riley O’Brien along with utilityman Matt Carpenter and outfielders Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
photo: Sonny Gray (Jim Rassol/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals have activated starting pitcher Sonny Gray from the injured list. Reliever John King has been optioned to Memphis.
St. Louis Cardinals announcement
RHP Sonny Gray has been activated from the injured list.
LHP John King has been optioned to Memphis (AAA). pic.twitter.com/jH4zxgHX7y
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 9, 2024
Brian Walton’s take
Gray’s path back from his spring training hamstring injury has been circuitous. Due to weather last week, Gray was scratched from a scheduled rehab start for Memphis in Indianapolis. He did throw a simulated game in Springfield but decided rather than to try again to pitch in a minor league game, he would instead return to St. Louis.
Gray will be starting for the Cardinals against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday evening.
King has both Gray and Zack Thompson to blame for his return to Memphis. In two starts covering for Gray, Thompson posted a 6.97 ERA. The lefty is moving to the bullpen making another lefty, King, extraneous.
In two outings totaling 2 1/3 innings with St. Louis this season, King allowed one run on three hits, including a home run, walked none and struck out four.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Memphis Redbirds Place Arquimedes Gamboa on the ILInfielder Arquimedes Gamboa of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds will be out for at least the next week due to injury.
Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals 2024 Opening Roster AnalysisConcluding the series, Brian Walton assesses the season-opening roster of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Low-A Florida State League affiliate. Who is up, who is down and who is starting for the Palm Beach Cardinals?
Double-A Springfield Cardinals 2024 Opening Roster AnalysisBrian Walton assesses the season-opening roster for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A Texas League affiliate. Who is up, who is down and who is starting?
NOTE: As of 5/5/24, this version of the roster matrix is no longer current. It reflects changes during the first five weeks of the 2024 regular season. It should now be considered a historical reference document. For the current roster matrix for the 2024 short season, click here.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ full system view by position and level is updated to reflect rosters and transactions for the 2024 regular season.
This newest Roster Matrix covers the St. Louis Cardinals and the entire minor league system, including the MLB club and their four full-season affiliates plus two rookie level teams – for the 2024 regular season.
As a reminder, the previous matrix outlined all organizational transactions during 2024 spring training.
A refresher
If you are new to The Cardinal Nation and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is quick summary:
As the 2024 regular season opened for the Double-A and Class-A, the St. Louis Cardinals had 232 players under contract from top to bottom, including a full 40-man roster. The 40-man members are called out in bold.
The matrix places each of the 232 by position at his assigned level in the system as well as by position.
The matrix is updated whenever transactions occur.
Nowhere else will you find this current and comprehensive single-page view of the entire Cardinals organization plus a decade of history.
(Do not be concerned about the order of the players’ names within position. It has no relative significance.)
Looking ahead and back
Now that you’ve found this page once, remember one of three ways to get back here. Bookmark the page, type “Roster Matrix” in the dark blue search box at the upper right (click on the magnifying glass icon) or use the menu at the left of the page: “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” > “TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MATRIX”.
While you are using that menu, note TCN’s full rosters and player pages for every level and every player in the Cardinals system. These rosters remain in sync with the Roster Matrix and carry biographical information on all players.
St. Louis Cardinals
Memphis Redbirds
Springfield Cardinals
Peoria Chiefs
Palm Beach Cardinals
Florida Complex League Cardinals
Dominican Summer League Cardinals
For details behind prior years’ rosters and transactions (back to 2009), check out the earlier versions of the Cardinals organization Roster Matrix, via the following link.
Transactions
4/5: New matrix. 40-man roster full. Organization total: 232 players.
4/5: RHR Gustavo J. Rodriguez to Peo 7-day IL.
4/8: IF Arquimedes Gamboa to Mem 7-day IL.
4/9: RHS Sonny Gray off StL 15-day IL. LHR John King from StL to Mem.
4/11: LF Lars Nootbaar off StL 10-day IL. C Pedro Pages from StL to Mem.
4/13: RHR Wilking Rodriguez to Mem 7-day IL.
4/15: 3B Michael Curialle to Peo 7-day IL. RHR Gustavo Rodriguez off Peo 7-day IL, reassigned to PB. RHP Alec Willis from EST to PB. RHR Luis Gastelum, RHR Wilmer Ortega from PB to FCL.
4/18: OF Alex Iadisernia to Peo 7-day IL.
4/20: RHR Brandon Komar from Spr to Mem. C Jimmy Crooks to Spr 7-day IL.
4/21: CF Victor Scott, RHR Andre Pallante from StL to Mem. C Pedro Pages, RHR Nick Robertson from Mem to StL.
4/22: IF Adari Grant to PB 7-day IL. OF Luis Pino from FCL/EST to PB.
4/24: OF Jordan Walker, LHP Zack Thompson from StL to Mem. IF Jose Fermin, LHR John King from Mem to StL.
4/25: OF Mike Antico from Mem to Spr. IF Ramon Mendoza from Spr to Mem.
4/30: IF Arquimedes Gamboa off Mem 7-day IL. C Jimmy Crooks off Spr 7-day IL. IF Michael Curialle, OF Alex Iadisernia off Peo 7-day IL. IF Adari Grant off PB 7-day IL. RHP Alec Wills onto PB 7-day IL. StL LHP Drew Rom from 15- to 60-day IL. RHR Kyle Leahy onto 40-man roster, to StL as DH 27th man.
5/3: LHS Steven Matz to StL 15-day IL. RHR Kyle Leahy from Mem to StL.
The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 4/30/24)
| St. Louis (26+7) | 40-man (40+1) | ||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Gray | O’Brien (15 IL) | W Contreras | Goldschmidt | Donovan | Winn | Arenado | Nootbaar |
| Mikolas | Middleton (15 IL) | I Herrera | Carpenter (10 IL) | Gorman | Crawford | Carlson (10 IL) | |
| Matz (L 7 IL) | Helsley | Pages | Fermin | Edman (10 IL) | |||
| Lynn | Romero (L) | Burleson | |||||
| Gibson | G Gallegos | Siani | |||||
| Robertson | |||||||
| Kittredge | |||||||
| Fernandez (R5) | |||||||
| Rom (L 60 IL) | |||||||
| Liberatore (L) | |||||||
| John King (L) | |||||||
| Leahy | |||||||
| Memphis (27+2) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| McGreevy | Roycroft | Raposo | J Young | Dunn | Gamboa | R Mendoza | Koperniak |
| Graceffo | W Rodriguez (& IL) | Collins | A Rivas | Prieto | M Gomez | ||
| Kloffenstein | Loutos | L Baker | Saggese | Walker | |||
| Robberse | James | Scott | |||||
| Santos | C Thomas (L) | ||||||
| Z Thompson (L) | Komar | ||||||
| Pallante | Bosiokovic | ||||||
| Naughton (L 7 IL) | |||||||
| Springfield (27+0) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Hence | Granillo | Crooks | Redmond | Torres | J Rivas | Buchberger | Lloyd |
| Roby | Svanson | Stauss | Yeager | Mendlinger | Church | ||
| E Nunez | Ralston | McKeithan | Rotondo | ||||
| Rajcic | Marrero | Antico | |||||
| Cornwell (L) | Shreve | ||||||
| Bedell | Raquet | ||||||
| L Taveras | |||||||
| T Baker | |||||||
| Peoria (30+1) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Hjerpe (L) | Jos King | Bernal | Sullivan | A Encarnacion | Harris | Tovalin | Moquete |
| Winquest | N Heredia (L) | Tarlow | Moore | Curialle | Levenson | ||
| Hansen (L) | D Rodriguez | Linarez | Iadisernia | ||||
| Rincon | Mills | LC Rodriguez | Jo Baez | ||||
| Mautz (L) | B Garcia | Cho | |||||
| Love (60 IL) | R Garcia | ||||||
| Jacobson | |||||||
| Bradt | |||||||
| Paniagua | |||||||
| Pereira | |||||||
| Palm Beach (30+2) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Mathews (L) | H Gomez | Adkison | Friedrick | Richardson | Espinoza | Salazar | Davis |
| Lin | Cuenca | M Hernandez | Paige | Villarroel | Cordoba | ||
| Davila | Arias | S Hernandez | Grant | Kretzschmar | |||
| G Salas | Willis (7 IL) | Jobert | |||||
| Saladin | Calderon | Pino | |||||
| Savacool | Showalter | ||||||
| Henderson (L) | |||||||
| Giulianelli | |||||||
| GJ Rodriguez | |||||||
| Clemente | |||||||
| Carpenter (60 IL) | |||||||
| FL Complex (29+1) | |||||||
| P | P (from DSL) | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Gastelum | Sequera | Loaiza | M Vargas | S De La Rosa | Y Guerrero | R Guzman | R Cabrera |
| Villanueva | Fabian | LA Rodriguez | Mejia | Y Ramos | |||
| Hayes | B Lopez | J Guerrero | J Suarez | ||||
| W Ortega | Beltre (L) | F Taveras | |||||
| Cuello | Honeyman | ||||||
| Yanez | |||||||
| M Martinez | |||||||
| (1st year 2024) | (1st year 2023) | ||||||
| Harrison | Menes | ||||||
| Worley | Odle (60 IL) | ||||||
| R Heredia | Kublick | ||||||
| DSL (40) | |||||||
| P (2022/prior) | P (1st year 2023) | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Severino | Paulino | Asprilla | Saez | B Taveras | A Batista | D Rojas | Roquez |
| Ynfante | E Carrera | Atocha | Junco | Y Pena | |||
| Oliver | R Lopez | C Lopez | Ra Rodriguez | Velasquez | |||
| Y Herrera (L) | K Ramirez | Caraballo | Almonte | ||||
| Galvez | Y Batista (L) | Arthur | |||||
| Suriel | Ja Baez | Gil | |||||
| X Cruz | |||||||
| P (first year 2024) | Mack (L) | ||||||
| Correa | G Vargas | ||||||
| Franco | S Rojas (L) | ||||||
| Reyes | A Bolivar | ||||||
| Moran | |||||||
| J Hernandez | |||||||
| K Perez | |||||||
| G Martinez | |||||||
| International signed (10) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Chinchilla | Ry Rodriguez | JP Cabrera | Lebron | Amaroso | |||
| J Garcia | Zulueta | Padilla | Guribe | ||||
| Lucena |
Codes
(DFA): designated for assignment
(TI): temporarily inactive list
(PL): paternity leave
(RL): reserve list
(L): left-handed pitcher
bold: on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster
(#+#): for teams, the number of active players on the roster plus number of inactive/not under contract (IL+TI+PL+RL) players
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
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.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
High-A Peoria Chiefs 2024 Opening Roster AnalysisBrian Walton assesses the season-opening roster for the St. Louis Cardinals’ High-A Midwest League affiliate. Who is up, who is down and who is missing?
photo: Matt Carpenter (Jon Durr/USA TODAY Sports)
Matt Carpenter has been placed on the St. Louis Cardinals’ injured list with Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras also missing the home opener.
The recently completed series in San Diego was costly to the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster. In Wednesday’s finale, Brendan Donovan (right triceps) and Willson Contreras (left, glove hand) were hit by pitches, knocking them out of Thursday’s home opening lineup. However, neither has been placed on the injured list, at least yet.
Infielder Matt Carpenter was not as fortunate, though. The 38-year-old suffered a right oblique strain that led the team to place him on the 10-day IL on Thursday. The injury is not believed to be serious, but obliques can be tricky.
Carpenter last played on Monday, with the IL move retroactive to Tuesday, April 2. He has three singles in 11 plate appearances in his Cardinals return.
In the corresponding transaction, catcher Pedro Pagés was recalled from Memphis. Clearly the choice is insurance against Contreras’ injury.
In the off-season, Pagés, 25, was added to the 40-man roster to serve as the third catcher in waiting this season. Little did The Cardinal Nation’s 28th-ranked prospect know his first MLB opportunity would come so quickly.
In his 12 plate appearances with Memphis to date in 2024, Pagés has two walks and two hits, with one a home run and the other good for two bases.
The other catchers currently on Memphis’ roster are Nick Raposo and newcomer Gavin Collins.
Carpenter becomes the eighth player on St. Louis’ injured list, joining pitchers Sonny Gray, Keynan Middleton, Riley O’Brien and Drew Rom along with outfielders Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson.
Minor league transaction
On April 1, the organization announced the signing of international free agent infielder Rainiel Rodriguez. The 17-year-old hails from the Dominican Republic and is listed at 5-foot-10, 197 pounds. The right-handed Rodriguez has been assigned to the roster of the rookie-level Dominican Summer League Cardinals.
Rodriguez is the Cardinals’ 13th signing from the 2024 international class.
For more
To see all players in the system by level and position plus every transaction all year ‘round, check out the always free Roster Matrix here at The Cardinal Nation, refreshed today.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation 2024 Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
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 or for fastest turnaround, pose your questions on The Cardinal Nation’s members-only forum. Follow Brian on Twitter.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
