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Cardinals' Andre Pallante: Goes five in fourth spring start
Rotowire
Pallante permitted one run on three hits and three walks over five innings in Grapefruit League play Saturday versus the Marlins. He struck out four.
Pallante struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the third inning but then issued a walk and gave up two straight hits to push in a run. It was another positive outing overall, though, and he got his pitch count up to 72. Through 14 frames this spring, Pallante holds a 2.57 ERA and 13:5 K:BB. He's put himself in good standing as he competes for a spot in the St. Louis rotation.
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Cardinals' Nolan Gorman: Heating up in Grapefruit League
Rotowire
Gorman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Marlins.
Gorman led off the top of the fourth inning with a blast off of Ryan Gusto. It's the third home run this spring for Gorman, who has reached base five times in his last two contests. Perhaps most encouragingly, he's also sporting a 4:5 BB:K. Gorman is set to be the Cardinals' primary third baseman this season and offers big power potential, albeit with lots of batting average risk.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Feeling much improved
Rotowire
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Herrera (knee) was in a "much better spot" Saturday and the team remains "confident" Herrera will be ready Opening Day, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera has been held out of game action for more than a week due to knee inflammation that occurred as a result of the 25-year-old getting reintroduced to the workload of catching. He was also eased into Grapefruit League games initially following offseason elbow surgery, which has led to Herrera receiving only seven plate appearances thus far. The Cardinals want Herrera to see more starts at catcher this spring but don't want to rush him back until the knee is 100 percent, so they're proceeding cautiously. Herrera is slated to be the team's Opening Day designated hitter but will be worked in at catcher, as well.
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Cardinals' Ramon Urias: Nursing elbow issue
Rotowire
Urias has recently been held out of Grapefruit League games due to an elbow injury, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
It's been almost a week since Urias has seen game action after experiencing soreness in his elbow while taking swings. The 31-year-old is expected to fill an infield utility role after signing with the Cardinals at the start of spring training.
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Cardinals' Nelson Velazquez: Continues push for roster spot
Rotowire
Velazquez clubbed a two-run home run in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.
Velazquez took Sean Manaea deep to the opposite field in the bottom of the first inning for his third home run of the spring. The three long balls tie him for the team lead, and he also boasts a 5:2 BB:K. The lack of a 40-man roster spot works against him, but Velazquez is making a real push for starts in left field for the Cardinals early in the season while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is sidelined.
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Cardinals' Lars Nootbaar: To ramp up running program
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Nootbaar (heels) has been increasing his agility drills and is soon slated to ramp up his running program, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Nootbaar's running will occur on an altered-gravity treadmill, so while his progression from offseason surgery on both heels is coming along, he does not appear close to being cleared for game action. The 28-year-old outfielder will begin the campaign on the injured list, and there remains no firm timetable for when he might be ready for his season debut.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Expected back in action soon
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Herrera's (knee) return to Grapefruit League play is considered imminent, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera played in a "B" game Wednesday and has been returning to full workouts as he recovers from inflammation in his knee. The Cardinals could choose to ease him back into games at designated hitter before giving him more reps a catcher, but either way it seems Herrera will be back in the lineup in a day or two. Herrera is 2-for-7 at the plate in limited action so far this spring.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Gets at-bats in backfields game
Rotowire
Herrera (knee) got eight plate appearances in a backfields game in Cardinals camp Wednesday, Brian Walton of TheCardinalNation.com reports.
Herrera -- who homered in his first plate appearance Wednesday -- has been slowed recently by knee inflammation. He had hoped to return to Grapefruit League action by now, but his participation in a "B" game suggests that should be coming soon. Herrera is expected to open the season as the Cardinals' primary designated hitter but will also see action at catcher.
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Cardinals' Bruce Zimmermann: Cut from big-league camp
Rotowire
The Cardinals reassigned Zimmermann to minor-league camp Tuesday.
Zimmermann signed with the Cardinals on a minor-league deal in January after spending the 2025 season in the Brewers organization. The southpaw gave up six runs (five earned) in six innings in a late-season spot start with Milwaukee but otherwise spent the entire campaign at Triple-A Nashville, where he produced a 4.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 109:30 K:BB in 138 innings. After falling short in his bid for a spot on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, Zimmermann is expected to serve as a swingman at Triple-A Memphis to begin the season.
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Cardinals' Hunter Dobbins: Pitching in minor-league game
Rotowire
Dobbins (knee) will pitch in another minor-league game later this week, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Returning from last July's right ACL surgery, Dobbins threw four innings and around 65 pitches in a previous appearance on the back fields. He was pleased with how that outing went, saying "a lot of the movement profiles have increased" after "some of the tweaks we've been making." Dobbins will be permitted to field his position in the game later this week, but he will not be allowed to cover first base, as the Cardinals are still being protective of his surgically repaired knee. The 26-year-old is set to open the 2026 season either on the injured list or at Triple-A Memphis, but he's a candidate to see starts for St. Louis later this summer.
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Cardinals' Max Rajcic: Could shift to relief role
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The Cardinals could shift Rajcic to a full-time relief role after the hurler has shown an uptick in velocity out of the bullpen this spring, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Rajcic and the player development staff corrected a flaw in the pitcher's delivery at a minor-league camp after last season, as his plant foot had been leaking and not allowing him to quickly rotate his hips. The righty worked on the change over the offseason and has seen his velocity go from the low 90s to the mid-90s and peak at 97 mph. All but one of Rajcic's appearances in the minors have come as a starting pitcher, but he really struggled after being promoted to Triple-A Memphis in 2025, posting a 6.40 ERA and 28:27 K:BB over 45 innings. A move to a relief role could give Rajcic a better chance to reach the big leagues.
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Cardinals' JoJo Romero: Among closer options
Rotowire
Romero is expected to be among the relievers in the mix to close games for the Cardinals this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol appears willing to let the team's closer situation "solve itself" rather than naming a go-to ninth-inning man before the season. Romero shared the closer job with Riley O'Brien down the stretch last season after Ryan Helsley was traded, and he finished with a 2.07 ERA and 55:29 K:BB over 61 innings. Goold writes of Romero that the Cardinals "still could trade the lefty for the right return," but the chances of a trade are significantly lower now than they were earlier in the offseason. In addition to Romero and O'Brien, Matt Svanson and Ryne Stanek are expected to receive consideration for closing duties.
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Cardinals' Matt Svanson: In mix to close games
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Svanson is expected to be in the mix to close games for the Cardinals this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol has indicated that he doesn't plan to name a closer heading into the season but expects the situation to "solve itself." Svanson did not record a save during his excellent rookie season, but he was particularly dominant in the second half with a 1.05 ERA and 44:12 K:BB over 34.1 innings. Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero and Ryne Stanek are also among the candidates to see save opportunities in St. Louis.
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Cardinals' Ryne Stanek: Could be part of closer committee
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The Cardinals could use Stanek as part of a closer-by-committee strategy, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol said of the Cardinals' closer job that "I don't think we need to name a guy," and he expects the situation to eventually "solve itself." Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero and Matt Svanson are also in the mix for saves along with Stanek. The 34-year-old Stanek is the elder statesman of the group but is probably better suited for a setup role. Stanek collected a 5.30 ERA and 58:32 K:BB over 56 innings for the Mets in 2025.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Slow start to spring training
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Walker is just 5-for-23 with zero extra-base hits and a 2:8 BB:K so far this spring.
Per Bernie Miklasz of STL Sports Central, Walker is sporting a 60 percent groundball rate, and 80 percent of his batted balls have either been grounders or infield popups. It's too soon to make sweeping judgments, but the changes Walker made with his swing at Driveline Baseball over the offseason have yet to take hold. The Cardinals are going to give the 23-year-old plenty of leash in right field this season as he looks to right the ship after slashing just .211/.270/.324 over the last two seasons.
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Cardinals' Quinn Mathews: Reassigned to minors camp
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The Cardinals reassigned Mathews to minor-league camp Monday.
Mathews showed encouraging signs in his last Grapefruit League appearance in racking up seven strikeouts over 2.2 innings, but he was always destined to open the season in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis. The southpaw will be seeking a bounce-back year after he stumbled in 2025 with a 3.93 ERA and 107:74 K:BB over 94 innings with Memphis.
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Cardinals' Nick Raquet: Cut from major-league camp
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The Cardinals optioned Raquet to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Raquet made three appearances during Grapefruit League play, yielding one run with a 5:1 K:BB across three innings. The Cardinals don't have a ton of left-handed relief depth, so the lefty-throwing Raquet is a good bet to see some action at the big-league level this season.
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Cardinals' Brycen Mautz: Dropped from big-league camp
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The Cardinals optioned Mautz to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
The Cardinals previously hadn't dismissed the possibility of Mautz making the team as a reliever, but he will begin the season in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis. Mautz posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 134:33 K:BB over 114.2 innings at Double-A Springfield in 2025.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Cut from big-league camp
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The Cardinals optioned Hjerpe (elbow) to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Hjerpe just recent resumed throwing from the mound following last April's Tommy John surgery. A former first-round pick, Hjerpe is aiming to make his season debut around midseason.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Cardinals optioned Baez to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Shortly after homering in his third straight Grapefruit League game, Baez is cut from big-league camp. The 22-year-old had a breakout 2025 season, hitting .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. If Baez is able to carry over that success into a hot start in 2026, he could push for a major-league debut sooner rather than later.
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