Seven Cardinals Prospects on 2026 National Top 100sOur 14th annual analysis of the placement of St. Louis Cardinals prospects on eight national top 100 lists, plus a look back over the prior decade. For 2026, the Cardinals have seven prospects ranked, with three on all eight lists, averaging in the top 33. That is a major improvement over recent years.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 12, 2026Thursday’s Day 14 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp was a reverse of Tuesday, with Memphis and Springfield at home and Peoria traveling to face the Mets. Quinn Mathews threw four no-hit innings with six strikeouts and one walk, but Brycen Mautz struggled. Joshua Baez went deep.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 11, 2026Wednesday’s Day 13 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp featured a Sim Game with a special guest. Ivan Herrera made eight plate appearances against five minor league arms.
photo: Masyn Winn (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals came to terms with 29 of 30 eligible pre-arbitration players on a one-year deal. However, Masyn Winn did not initially agree, so the club executed its right to renew his contract. Brian Walton explains what it means now and what it might in future years.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Wednesday, March 11) that they have signed 29 of their pre-arbitration service time players to contracts for the 2026 season and that shortstop Masyn Winn has opted to have his contract renewed. The team now has all players on its 40-player Major League roster under contract for the 2026 season.
Today’s announced signings include the following players: OF Joshua Báez, C Leo Bernal, LHP Justin Bruihl, OF Nathan Church, C Jimmy Crooks, RHP Hunter Dobbins, INF José Fermin, RHP Ryan Fernandez, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Gordon Graceffo, RHP Tink Hence, C Iván Herrera, LHP Cooper Hjerpe, RHP Kyle Leahy, LHP Brycen Mautz, RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Riley O’Brien, C Pedro Pagés, INF César Prieto, RHP Matt Pushard, LHP Nick Raquet, RHP Tekoah Roby, RHP Chris Roycroft, INF Thomas Saggese, OF Victor Scott II, RHP George Soriano, RHP Matt Svanson, OF Bryan Torres and OF Jordan Walker.
Brian Walton’s take
This is the annual spring one-year contract announcement for the 40-man roster players not yet eligible for arbitration. It is usually a rubber-stamp process, but not always for everyone.
These pre-arbitration players essentially have no choice but to take the salary as offered – if they want to play in 2026. The 30 named above represent exactly three-quarters of the very, very inexperienced Cardinals 40-man roster. Twenty-nine of them accepted what the team is willing to pay them.
In case you do not understand why Winn is listed separately above, it is because the star shortstop did not initially agree to accept the amount the team offered him. However, since Winn is not yet arbitration-eligible, he must take the Cardinals’ salary as proposed. As a result, it would not be a stretch to assume that arguably the team’s most important emerging player is not happy about it.
Looking ahead, it would not surprise me for Winn to take the Cardinals to an arbitration hearing in his first of three years eligible, starting in 2027 – perhaps unless the club decides to make him an acceptable long-term offer before then. However, the current labor unrest across MLB coupled with the team’s declining financial position would seemingly decrease the odds of a multi-year extension offer.
Also note that in recent years, other former Cardinals including Tommy Pham, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Hicks were also renewed by the team at least once as a pre-arb player. Another common thread is that they were all traded away prior to reaching free agency.
All minimum salary amounts are defined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement between players and owners, which is now entering its final year of five. The minimum major league salary this season is $780,000, up from $760,000 in 2025.
Under new President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals may or may not have a slight increase scale for accomplished pre-arb players above the minimum salary. But even if they do, it clearly wasn’t enough to satisfy Winn.
In addition to his message to the Cardinals, Winn is perhaps also making a point for the Players’ Union that salaries for young standouts should increase in the next CBA. The new agreement is hoped to go into effect in 2027 after what may be a long and contentious negotiation process during the 2026 season and off-season.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 10, 2026
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© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 10, 2026After a relatively quiet Monday, Tuesday’s Day 12 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp featured three games against the Mets. Ty Van Dyke faced the minimum over three innings and a pair of major leaguers also pitched for Peoria.
photo: Max Rajcic (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals sent three non-roster invitees to Minor League Camp, their third set of moves in the last four days and fourth overall.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Tuesday, March 10) that the team has reduced its Spring Training roster to 43 players, with three players being re-assigned to minor league camp.
Those being re-assigned today were pitchers Max Rajcic and Bruce Zimmermann and outfielder Chase Davis.
The Cardinals currently have 30 major league roster players and 13 non-roster invitees in Major League camp.
Brian Walton’s take
This is St. Louis’ second set of cuts in the last two days and third since Saturday.
All three of Tuesday’s players were non-roster invitees to big-league camp. Davis is The Cardinal Nation’s 26th-ranked prospect and Rajcic is 44th. Rajcic and Zimmermann have significant Triple-A experience but Davis has yet to debut at the minors’ highest level.
St. Louis still has 17 more roster reductions to make before the regular season begins. The Cardinals will depart Jupiter on Sunday, March 22nd.
As noted, big-league camp is down to 43 players as minor league camp grows to 168.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
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Not yet a member?
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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 9, 2026After most players had Sunday off, Monday was Day 11 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp. Supporting St. Louis’ split squad day, 34 campers donned the MLB uniform on Monday as more players cut from big league camp reported to the back fields.
photo: Chaim Bloom and Joshua Baez (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Two days after their most recent spring cuts, the St. Louis Cardinals have reduced their roster to 46 players, with five players moving to minor league camp on Monday. Four of them are Top 20 prospects.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today (Monday, March 9) that the team has reduced its Spring Training roster to 46 players, with five players moving to minor league camp.
The team optioned pitchers Cooper Hjerpe, Brycen Mautz and Nick Raquet, and outfielder Joshua Baez to the Memphis (AAA) roster and re-assigned non-roster pitcher Quinn Mathews to minor league camp.
The Cardinals currently have 30 major league roster players and 16 non-roster invitees in Major League camp.
Brian Walton’s take
This group of cuts came just two days after the second round of spring roster reductions and is timed to follow the Cardinals’ split squad day on Monday.
All except Raquet are ranked prospects in The Cardinal Nation’s Top 20 for 2026. Mathews is fourth, Baez is eighth, Hjerpe (who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery) is ninth and Mautz is 18th.
From this group, the most spring buzz was about Baez. The outfielder is coming off a turnaround season in which he was a Texas League All-Star. The Cardinals have a short-term need in the outfield corners and some fans are tempted to rush Baez to the majors with no Triple-A experience.
Baez is standing out this spring, including a two-run home run on Monday and a .333 Grapefruit League batting average.
But the Cardinals skipped Triple-A with Jordan Walker and essentially the same with Victor Scott. That lack of exposure to the highest level of the minors undoubtedly contributed to their struggles at the plate in the majors.
Baez’ time will come, but only after some seasoning and success with Memphis.
Mautz, the organization’s 2025 Pitcher of the Year, will almost certainly debut in the Memphis rotation, joining Mathews, who wants to position himself to be the next call up when St. Louis needs another starter.
Raquet will take a seat on the I-55 Shuttle between Memphis and St. Louis for another year.
While 20 more players must be shaved off the 46 in camp in the next two weeks, Minor League Camp has grown to 165 players.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
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How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026
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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 7, 2026Saturday was Day 10 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp. The highlight was a Sim Game between Palm Beach and Peoria. The Cardinal Nation’s #42 prospect, SS Miguel Hernandez, decided the close contest with a three-run home run.
photo: Jimmy Crooks, Quinn Mathews, Eric Peterson (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
On Saturday, five 40-man players and one non-roster invitee were shifted to St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training camp. They include three top 10 prospects.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced the team has reduced its Spring Training roster to 51 players today (Saturday, March 7), with six players moving to minor league camp.
The team optioned pitcher Tink Hence, infielder César Prieto, infielder/outfielder Bryan Torres, and catchers Leo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks to the Memphis (AAA) roster and re-assigned non-roster pitcher Skylar Hales to minor league camp.
The Cardinals currently have 34 major league roster players and 17 non-roster invitees in Major League camp.
Brian Walton’s take
Hence (The Cardinal Nation no. 10), Prieto (no. 39), Bernal (no. 5) and Crooks (no. 8) are ranked prospects, with perhaps Crooks the most surprising cut this soon in camp. He is the most experienced of the group, with 15 MLB games logged late last season.
However, it has been clear in spring camp that the big three catchers – Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo – were considered above the others.
A possible complication to watch is that Herrera was scratched from Saturday’s game with knee inflammation.
Also worth noting is that the chance of Torres fighting his way onto the Opening Day 26-man roster was hurt by his decision to leave the Cardinals to play in the World Baseball Classic for Yadier Molina and Puerto Rico.
Bernal is also currently away for the WBC (Panama).
As noted, big-league camp is down to 51 players as minor league camp grows to 160.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
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How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026
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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 6, 2026Friday was Day 9 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp and the first day of games against external competition. The upper-level teams won both games at the Mets with prospects Liam Doyle and Hancel Rincon starting and Chase Heath starring.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 5, 2026Thursday was Day 8 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp and the final day before games against external competition. Ten minor leaguers traveled across the state with the Cardinals and at home, 13 pitchers threw pens and live pens. Major Leaguer Riley O’Brien also had a live session.
32 members of The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 Top 50 Prospect List are on the preliminary 40-man roster for the St. Louis Cardinals’ March 19 Spring Breakout Game.
On Thursday, preliminary team rosters for this month’s Spring Breakout Games were announced. That includes the St. Louis Cardinals, of course.
The roster selection process is as follows. Preliminary 40-man player pools begin with each team’s Top 30 prospects per MLB Pipeline, minus any injured players, players on the Dominican Summer League roster and players on the 40-man roster who elect not to participate. The pools also include 10 or more additional unranked prospects submitted by the organization to replace the above ranked prospects not participating.
The group encompasses almost all the top names you would expect, including 32 members of The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 Cardinals Top 50. Headliners are no. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt and 2025 top draft pick, left-hander Liam Doyle (2), throwing to 2025 breakout catcher Rainiel Rodriguez (3).
The only exceptions from TCNs top 20 are two players with limited MLB experience, catcher Jimmy Crooks (7) and outfielder Nathan Church (20) plus two pitchers out for an extended period, Cooper Hjerpe (9) and Tekoah Roby (11).
Further narrowing down of the 40-man list will occur before the final 27 are set on March 18, the day before the game. For example, pitchers Brandon Clarke (6) and Ixan Henderson (12) are not currently throwing due to injury.
The Spring Breakout series of 16 games are held over a four-day period on the major league spring training fields to showcase top prospects from each organization.
On Thursday, March 19 at 4:30 p.m. ET, Cardinals prospects will face their counterparts from the Washington Nationals at Roger Dean Stadium. It will follow the big-league game at 1:00 p.m. and can be viewed on MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App and Gameday.
Of course, I will again be there in person to report on all the action!
Preliminary Cardinals 40-man player pool
| PITCHERS (20) | Pos | Pipeline | TCN |
| Blake Aita | RHP | NR | 24a |
| Tyler Bradt | RHP | NR | NR |
| Mason Burns | RHP | NR | 50 |
| Brandon Clarke | LHP | No. 9 | 6 |
| Randel Clemente | RHP | NR | 41 |
| Jurrangelo Cijntje | SWP | No. 5 | 5a |
| Cade Crossland | LHP | No. 25 | 22 |
| Braden Davis | LHP | No. 28 | 16 |
| Liam Doyle | LHP | No. 2 | 2 |
| Yhoiker Fajardo | RHP | No. 13 | 20a |
| Tanner Franklin | RHP | No. 11 | 13 |
| Jovi Galvez | RHP | NR | NR |
| Luis Gastelum | RHP | No. 22 | 21 |
| Tink Hence | RHP | No. 15 | 10 |
| Ixan Henderson | LHP | No. 14 | 12 |
| Chen-Wei Lin | RHP | No. 26 | 17 |
| Quinn Mathews | LHP | No. 7 | 4 |
| Brycen Mautz | LHP | No. 21 | 18 |
| Hancel Rincon | RHP | No. 29 | 23 |
| Michael Watson | LHP | NR | 36 |
| CATCHERS (3) | Pos | Pipe | TCN |
| Leonardo Bernal | C | No. 6 | 5 |
| Ryan Campos | C | NR | 48 |
| Rainiel Rodriguez | C | No. 3 | 3 |
| INFIELDERS (11) | Pos | Pipe | TCN |
| Jesus Baez | INF | No. 20 | 14 |
| Jalin Flores | INF | NR | NR |
| Jon Jon Gazdar | INF | NR | NR |
| Jack Gurevitch | 1B | No. 30 | 38 |
| Blaze Jordan | 1B/3B | No. 27 | 30 |
| Josh Kross | 1B/C | NR | 37 |
| Cade McGee | INF | NR | NR |
| Noah Mendlinger | UTIL | NR | NR |
| Deniel Ortiz | 3B/1B | No. 24 | 15 |
| Yairo Padilla | SS | No. 16 | 29 |
| JJ Wetherholt | INF | No. 1 | 1 |
| OUTFIELDERS (6) | Pos | Pipe | TCN |
| Joshua Baez | OF | No. 4 | 8 |
| Colton Ledbetter | OF | NR | 46a |
| Zach Levenson | OF | NR | 25 |
| Ryan Mitchell | OF/INF | No. 12 | 19 |
| Tai Peete | OF | No. 18 | 19a |
| Miguel Ugueto | OF | NR | NR |
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026
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If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive 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 and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 4, 2026Wednesday, March 4 was Day 7 of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp. Six Major Leaguers who did not play in the WBC Nicaragua team exhibition took extra cuts in live batting practice on the back fields.
photo: Fray Peniche (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In a player orientation session on the first day of Minor League Spring Training Camp, the St. Louis Cardinals announced Fray Peniche as the recipient of the 2025 George Kissell Award for player development excellence. The long-time manager of the Dominican Summer League Cardinals is the 32nd winner of the honors since 1995 and first academy employee ever selected.
Congratulations to Fray Peniche who was presented with the 2025 George Kissell Award for excellence in player development.
Peniche enters his 16th season as a coach in the Cardinals organization (28th overall), all as manager for the DSL Cardinals at the organization's Dominican… pic.twitter.com/KmHnepfif3
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) March 4, 2026
The George Kissell Award
The Kissell Award is the top recognition any member of the player development organization could receive and remains an annual reminder of the importance of George Kissell to generations of Cardinals.
Through his teaching, Kissell essentially wrote the book that was later labeled “The Cardinal Way” as a player, manager and teaching leader of the organization from 1940 until he passed away in the fall of 2008 due to injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
The Cardinals recognized Kissell’s importance long before his untimely passing, first establishing the Award in 1995 to recognize a member of the organizational staff for excellence in player development. In the most appropriate nod, Kissell himself received the first Award.
The winner is chosen through voting by the Cardinals minor league field staff, with the peer recognition making it especially meaningful.
More about George
Among Kissell’s many other honors is a plaque outside the Cardinals Jupiter clubhouse highlighting his numerous accomplishments as well as the naming of the team’s minor league quad in his honor.
The inscription on the plaque says it all.
“Every player in the Cardinal organization since 1940 has had contact with George Kissell and they all have been better for it. One of the most respected people in the game of baseball at any level, George has worked in all areas of the Cardinals’ baseball operations. He was a scout, minor league manager, major league coach, and, as senior field coordinator for player development, he has coordinated the team’s minor league affiliates.
“Well known for his emphasis on fundamentals, George taught several generations of Redbirds how to play baseball. In recognition of his teaching excellence and personal example, the George Kissell Award is presented annually to the Cardinals outstanding player development staff person.
“George Kissell is one of the true foundations of the Cardinals tradition.”
Though Kissell was not eligible in the fan voting for Modern Era players to the Cardinals Hall of Fame, he was chosen as an “owner’s selection” and entered the Hall in 2015.
In ongoing honor of his teaching impact of generations of players, the Cardinals dedicated their four primary minor league fields in Jupiter as the George Kissell Quad.
George Kissell Award winners
Two-time Kissell Award honorees include Steve Turco, Chris Maloney and Mark DeJohn, none of whom remain in the organization.
Turco is now retired but was a long-time manager and scout. Maloney was formerly St. Louis’ third-base coach and DeJohn retired six years ago as the organization’s minor league field coordinator.
Six members of the current Cardinals staff are prior Kissell Award winners.
The six are Fundamentals Coordinator Jose Oquendo, FCL bench coach Gary Kendall (2024 winner), St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol, Cardinals first base coach Stubby Clapp, Cards third base coach Ron “Pop” Warner and Minor League Equipment Coordinator Dave Vonderhaar.
| Kissell winners | |||||
| 2025 | Fray Peniche | DSL manager | 2010 | Mike Shildt | Johnson City mgr. |
| 2024 | Gary Kendall | PB manager | 2009 | Chris Maloney | Memphis manager |
| 2023 | Dave Vonderhaar | Minors Equip. Mgr. | 2008 | Mark DeJohn | Batavia manager |
| 2022 | Jose Oquendo | Fundamentals Coord | 2007 | Dan Radison | Minors hitting instr. |
| 2021 | Tim Leveque | Pitching Coord | 2006 | Chris Maloney | Springfield manager |
| Robert Butler | Dir of Performance | 2005 | Ron “Pop” Warner | Palm Beach mgr. | |
| 2020 | no season | 2004 | Blaise Ilsley | Tenn. pitching coach | |
| 2019 | Tony Ferreira | Player Dev. mgr. | 2003 | Mark DeJohn | Tenn. manager |
| 2018 | Gary LaRocque | Player Dev. director | 2002 | Danny Sheaffer | Peoria manager |
| 2017 | Stubby Clapp | Memphis manager | 2001 | Dyar Miller | Mem. pitching coach |
| 2016 | Steve Turco | Gulf Coast Lg. mgr. | 2000 | Gaylen Pitts | Memphis manager |
| 2015 | Randy Niemann | PB pitching coach | 1999 | Mark Riggins | Minors pitching coord. |
| 2014 | Derrick May | Minors hitting coord. | 1998 | Joe Pettini | Minors field coord. |
| 2013 | Oliver Marmol | State College mgr. | 1997 | Mark O’Neal | Mem. athletic trainer |
| 2012 | Bryan Eversgerd | Sgf. pitching coach | 1996 | Bo Milliken | Minors pitching instr. |
| 2011 | Steve Turco | Gulf Coast Lg. mgr. | 1995 | George Kissell | Senior field coord. |
| Bold: currently in org. |
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026
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If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 3, 2026Tuesday was Day 6 of St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp. Though St. Louis had the day off, the minor leaguers played a Sim Game, with five mammoth home runs. 21 pitchers threw bullpens, and 14 threw live pens.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – March 2, 2026After taking Sunday off, St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp moved into its Day 5 on Monday, March 2. Nine more players were assigned to St. Louis for the day, as Colton Ledbetter starred. 17 pitchers threw bullpens, seven threw live pens and 12 hitters faced them.
photo: Jurrangelo Cijntje (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
In their first cuts of the spring from 2026 big league camp, the St. Louis Cardinals reduced their roster to 57 players. The 11 include five prospect pitchers as Minor League camp swelled to 154 players.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced the team has reduced its Spring Training roster to 57 players today (Monday, March 2), with 11 players moving to minor league camp.
The team optioned right-handed pitcher Tekoah Roby to the Memphis (AAA) roster, and re-assigned non-roster pitchers Jurrangelo Cijntje, Pete Hansen, Ixan Henderson, Austin Love, Hancel Rincón, Sem Robberse, Jared Shuster and Zack Thompson, catcher Graysen Tarlow and outfielder Mike Antico to minor league camp.
The Cardinals currently have 39 major league roster players and 18 non-roster invitees in camp.
Brian Walton’s quick take
There are no surprises here. Roby, Henderson, Robberse and Thompson are coming back from injuries.
The others, with the exceptions of Shuster and Antico, finished 2025 at Double-A. Antico will return to Memphis, while Shuster, a free agent signing in December, pitched for two different Triple-A teams last season.
On The Cardinal Nation’ Top 50 Prospect List, Cijntje is ranked no. 5a. Roby is 11th, Henderson is 12th, Rincon is 23rd and Hansen is 32nd.’
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026
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If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
How Six Top 86 Draft Picks are Different for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026You may know the St. Louis Cardinals possess six draft picks in the top 86 in 2026. But did you know that it is only the third time in the DeWitt group ownership years? One reason is that they did not give up early selections, in contrast to the 23% they lost in the last decade.
NOTE: As of 4/3/26, this version of the roster matrix is no longer current. It reflects changes during 2026 spring training. It should now be considered a historical reference document. For the active roster matrix during the 2026 regular season, click here.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ full system view by position and level is updated to reflect rosters and transactions for 2026 spring training.
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 – during 2026 spring training.
As a reminder, the previous matrix outlined all organizational transactions during the 2025-2026 off-season.
A refresher
If you are new to The Cardinal Nation and not familiar with the Cardinals organization roster matrix, here is a quick summary:
As 2026 spring camps opened, the St. Louis Cardinals had 245 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 245 at his assigned level in the system as well as by position.
This version is a bit different from prior ones, however. There are three major groupings. 68 players began in St. Louis’ camp. They are listed first and oriented by the levels at which they finished 2025. The 28 spring camp non-roster invitees are denoted by (NRI).
The next group is the 143 players who began in Minor League Camp. They, too, are listed by their 2025 team. This includes 14 new arrivals from the Dominican Republic academy. As a result, the DSL team roster is split into those in US Minor League league camp and those who are not.
The final grouping of the three are the players remaining in the Dominican academy.
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
2/24: New organization total: 245 players. 40-man roster full.
2/24: FCL C Alejandro Loaiza, 3B Yancel Guerrero to P.
2/26: RHR Zak Kent claimed off waivers by MIN. New organization total: 244 players.
3/2: 11 cuts from StL Camp. RHP Tekoah Roby optioned out. 10 NRIs reassigned to minors camp: P Jurrangelo Cijntje, Pete Hansen, Ixan Henderson, Austin Love, Hancel Rincón, Sem Robberse, Jared Shuster and Zack Thompson, C Graysen Tarlow, OF Mike Antico. All are Spr except Robberse, Shuster, Thompson and Antico, who are with Mem. StL camp at 57 players. Minors camp at 154.
3/7: Six cuts from StL Camp. One NRI reassigned to minors camp: RHR Skylar Hales. Five optioned out: RHP Tink Hence, C Leonardo Bernal, C Jimmy Crooks, 2B/OF Bryan Torres, 2B/3B Cesar Prieto. StL camp at 51 players. Minor league camp at 160.
3/9: Five cuts from StL Camp. One NRI reassigned to minors camp: LHS Quinn Mathews. Four optioned out: RHR Nick Raquet, LHS Brycen Mautz, LHS Cooper Hjerpe and OF Joshua Baez. StL camp at 46 players. Minor league camp at 165.
3/10: Three cuts from StL Camp, all NRIs reassigned to minors camp: OF Chase Davis, RHP Bruce Zimmermann and RHP Max Rajcic. StL camp at 43 players, including 30 40-man roster players. Minor league camp at 168.
3/10: FCL RHP Alec Willis released. New organization total: 243 players.
3/15: Seven cuts from StL Camp. Six NRIs reassigned to minors camp: pitchers Luis Gastelum, Gerson Moreno and Packy Naughton, 1B Blaze Jordan, SS Jeremy Rivas, OF Matt Koperniak. Optioned out: RHR Ryan Fernandez. StL camp at 36 players. Minor league camp at 175.
3/18: RHS Richard Fitts optioned to Memphis. StL camp at 35 players.
3/19: Eight pitchers to 60-day IL. Frank Elissalt (Peo), Joseph King (Peo), Brandon Clarke (Peo), Andrew Dutkanych IV (PB), Sem Robberse (Mem), Victor Santos (Mem), Zack Thompson (Mem) and Jefferson Moran (FCL). Reiner Lopez to DSL full-season IL.
3/21: RHR Gordon Graceffo optioned to Mem. StL camp at 34 players.
3/22: 40-man RHS Tekoah Roby to Mem 60-day IL.
3/25: 2B JJ Wetherholt added to 40-man roster, promoted from Mem to StL. StL OF Lars Nootbaar to 60-day IL. STL SP Hunter Dobbins to 15-day IL. Both IL moves are effective 3/22. 40-man roster remains full.
3/25: 3 FCL players released. OF Romtres Cabrera, SS Yoerny Junco and P Yancel Guerrero. Peo OF Andrew Sojka released. PB RHR Charles Harrison released. New organization total: 238 players.
3/27: LHR Alex Cornwell to Mem 7-day IL. RHR Ian Bedell, OF Mike Antico to Mem Development List. Nine players promoted to Mem from Spr: RHR Luis Gastelum, RHR Tink Hence, LHS Brycen Mautz, C Leonardo Bernal, IF Ramon Mendoza, OF Joshua Baez, OF Colton Ledbetter, LHP Pete Hansen (7-day IL) and LHS Ixan Henderson (60-day IL).
3/31: RHR Matt Pushard to StL 15-day IL. RHR Gordon Graceffo from Mem to StL. RHR Ian Bedell off Mem Development List. StL RHS Hunter Dobbins on rehab to Mem.
The St. Louis Cardinals Organization Roster Matrix (effective 3/31/26)
| St. Louis (26+3) | 40-man (40+1) | ||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Liberatore (L) | Svanson | I Herrera | Burleson | Saggese | Winn | Gorman | Nootbaar (60 IL) |
| May | Soriano | Pages | Fermin | Urias | Scott | ||
| McGreevy | Romero (L) | Pozo | Wetherholt | Walker | |||
| Pallante | Pushard (15 IL) | Church | |||||
| Leahy | Stanek | ||||||
| Dobbins (15 IL) | Roycroft | ||||||
| O’Brien | |||||||
| Bruihl (L) | |||||||
| Graceffo | |||||||
| Memphis (28+8) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Fitts | Naughton (L) | Yerzy | Jordan | Torres | Moore | Prieto | Antico (Dev List) |
| Zimmermann (L) | V Santos (60 IL) | Bernal | R Mendoza | Jo Baez | |||
| Mautz (L) | Bedell | Crooks | Koperniak | ||||
| Mathews (L) | Moreno | Velazquez | |||||
| Shuster (L) | Raquet (L) | Madris | |||||
| Robberse (60 IL) | Cornwell (L 7 IL) | Ledbetter | |||||
| Roby (60 IL) | Hales | ||||||
| Hansen (L 7 IL) | Z Thompson (L 60 IL) | ||||||
| Henderson (L 60 IL) | Blewett | ||||||
| Ry Fernandez | |||||||
| Hence | |||||||
| Rajcic | |||||||
| Gastelum | |||||||
| Springfield (25) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Rincon | Hayes | Linarez | Harris | J Rivas | C Davis | ||
| Doyle (L) | E Nunez | Tarlow | Paige | Gazdar | Ugueto | ||
| Lin | Watson (L) | Adkison | Levenson | ||||
| Cijntje (L/R) | Murphy | Mendlinger | |||||
| Hjerpe (L) | Saladin | ||||||
| Clemente | |||||||
| Love | |||||||
| Bradt | |||||||
| Burns | |||||||
| Peoria (33+4) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Franklin | G Salas | Campos | Kross | Richardson | Villarroel | Ortiz | Petrutz |
| Davila | A Holiday | S Hernandez | A Encarnacion | Martin | Jesus Baez | Peete | |
| B Davis (L) | Showalter | Ra Rodriguez | Cho | ||||
| Molina | Picone | Honeyman | |||||
| Dohm | Findlay (L) | Jo Cordoba | |||||
| Elissalt (60 IL) | Savacool | ||||||
| B Thompson | J Ramirez | ||||||
| Clarke (60 IL) | Carpenter | ||||||
| Aita | Jos King (60 IL) | ||||||
| Wood (RL) | |||||||
| Worley | |||||||
| Militello | |||||||
| Freeberger | |||||||
| Palm Beach (32+1) | |||||||
| SP | RP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Sequera | Reyes | Caraballo | Gurevitch | J Mejia | Weingartner | McGee | Miura |
| Odle | Mack (L) | Birge | Flores | Dattalo | J Suarez | ||
| Sparks | B Lopez | Heath | Haskins | Pino | |||
| Ynfante | Y Herrera (L) | Y Pena | |||||
| Dutkanych (60 IL) | Olsen | Nickens | |||||
| Y Batista (L) | Kublick | ||||||
| Van Dyke | Brodersen | ||||||
| Fajardo | Watts | ||||||
| Galvez | |||||||
| Breckheimer | |||||||
| FL Complex Lg (30+1) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Menes | Moran (60 IL) | C Lopez | Salazar | B Taveras | Lebron | D Rojas | Velasquez |
| B Holiday | Paulino | Asprilla | Guribe | Padilla | Lucena | ||
| G Vargas | A Bolivar | Arthur | |||||
| Shelagowski | Rice (L) | Mitchell | |||||
| Young | Driessen | ||||||
| Graham | Jack Martinez | ||||||
| Echeman | Knowles | ||||||
| K Ramirez | Loaiza | ||||||
| Cuello | Best | ||||||
| Crossland | |||||||
| DSL 2025 to US ST (13+1) | |||||||
| P | P | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Zulueta | X Cruz | Rujano | Dos Santos | Hunter | |||
| Franco | Ja Baez | JP Cabrera | Mi Hernandez | Strop | |||
| Chinchilla | R Lopez (FSIL) | ||||||
| J Garcia | JE Cabrera | ||||||
| DSL (32+1) | |||||||
| P (first year 2024) | P (1st year 2023) | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF |
| Ry Rodriguez | (first year 2024) | (first year 2024) | |||||
| Saez | Amoroso | ||||||
| P (first year 2025) | P (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) | (first year 2025) |
| Alvarez | B Rodriguez | Chaparro | J Perez | Portolatin | Cordero | Takahashi | |
| K Peralta | H Cabrera | ||||||
| JC Garcia | B Reyes (RL) | ||||||
| D Gomez | D Mejia | ||||||
| Cana (L) | Ri Fernandez | ||||||
| P (first year 2026) | P (first year 2026) | (first year 2026) | (first year 2026) | (first year 2026) | (first year 2026) | ||
| Santillan (L) | Figuereo | S Rojas | Castillo | Carrion | Luna | ||
| Beltran | Moronta | Estrella | |||||
| Martinez | Jimenez (L) | Franganten | |||||
| Garrido (L) | Sanchez | ||||||
| C Vargas | |||||||
Codes
(NRI): non-roster invitee to MLB camp
(NRI): non-roster invitee to MLB camp reassigned to minor league camp
(opt): 40-man player optioned to minor league camp
(DFA): designated for assignment
(TI): temporarily inactive list
(PL): paternity leave
(RL): restricted 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
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Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – February 28, 2026Day 4 of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp was held on Saturday, February 28. A lot was going on, with nine players assigned to St. Louis, 13 pitchers threw bullpens, 14 threw live pens and 18 hitters faced them. Liam Doyle was scheduled for three innings and Cade McGee plated two for the Cardinals.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – February 27, 2026Day 3 of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp was held on Friday, February 27. Dustin May threw a Sim Game. Via photos and notes, Brian Walton shows who’s assigned where and what they did.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – February 26, 2026Thursday, February 26 was Day 2 of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp. Via four dozen photos and notes, Brian Walton shows who’s assigned where and what they did.
2026 Cardinals Minor League Spring Game SchedulesThe Cardinal Nation has the first look at the St. Louis Cardinals schedule for Minor League Spring Training games vs. external competition during March 2026. We note who is playing where and when and how it will dovetail into the Regular Season.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp – February 25, 2026Wednesday, February 25 was the first day of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Camp for 143 players. Ramon Urias and Alec Burleson also got in some extra work. Brian Walton shows who’s assigned where and what they did.
Cardinals Minor League Spring Training Roster InsightsBrian Walton digs into the details behind the 143 players the St. Louis Cardinals welcomed to their Minor League Spring Training Camp on Wednesday, February 25. Details on position changes, new assignees from the Dominican Republic academy and much more.
Cardinals Minor League Depth Camp – February 24, 2026Tuesday, February 24 was Day 11, the final day of the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Depth Camp with 11 players joining St. Louis for its evening game vs. the Nationals in West Palm. Brian Walton shares who’s assigned where.
