Player News

• Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Shut down two more weeks

  07/29/2024 • By RotoWire

  Hjerpe will remain shut down for two more weeks while dealing with a left elbow injury, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Hjerpe hasn't pitched since July 2 and with two more weeks of down time, it would be a surprise if he's ready for game action before September. He had surgery last August to remove a loose body from his elbow, but the exact nature of the injury isn't clear this time around. Hjerpe has posted a 3.27 ERA and 76:28 K:BB over 52.1 innings covering 15 starts between the High- and Double-A levels in 2024.

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• Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Enjoying first big-league camp

  03/04/2024 • By RotoWire

  Hjerpe may not see much action against opposing teams' starting lineups during Grapefruit League play, Brenden Schaeffer of First Alert 4 reports. He struck out four and walked two over two scoreless innings in his first appearance of the spring, but Hjerpe is not high in the pecking order of young pitchers fighting for a big-league job or an early season promotion to the majors. The 6-foot-3 southpaw put up very impressive numbers in college thanks to a unique arm angle that allows all his pitches to play up. Hjerpe got off to a slow start in his pro debut, but he had a 1.54 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings over his final four starts before needing a cleanup procedure on his elbow. He made it back for the Arizona Fall League and worked as a reliever there, striking out 15 while walking six in 8.1 innings over seven appearances. Including the AFL, Hjerpe was able to log just 49.1 innings in 2023 after throwing 103.1 frames for Oregon State in 2022. Staying healthy and handling a starter's workload will be paramount this year, and if he does that, he could be an option in the big-league rotation in late 2024 or in 2025.

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• Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Recovering from minor elbow surgery

  08/24/2023 • By RotoWire

  Hjerpe is recovering from surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow and is questionable to return this season, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. He last pitched May 23 for High-A Peoria, and as of Aug. 14, he was throwing from 120 feet at the Cardinals' spring training complex in Florida with a light bullpen session on tap. It's encouraging that this wasn't Tommy John surgery, but it's possible we won't see the left-hander back in game action until 2024. Hjerpe got off to a slow start in his pro debut, but he had a 1.54 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings over his four most recent starts.

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• Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Too many walks at High-A

  04/22/2023 • By RotoWire

  Hjerpe has a 7.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB through his first three professional starts with High-A Peoria. The Cardinals' first-round pick in last year's draft, Hjerpe has missed plenty of bats in the early going, but his 15.5 percent walk rate is the primary reason he has struggled. Hjerpe, who was born in California, is also pitching in the Midwest League, which can have a challenging climate in April.

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