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.
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