Cardinals Set 2023 Opening Day Roster | The Cardinal Nation
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced several transactions this evening (Saturday, March 25), as they positioned their anticipated 2023 Opening Day roster.
The Cardinals announced that they optioned left-handed pitchers Génesis Cabrera and JoJo Romero, along with infielder/outfielder Juan Yepez to the Memphis (AAA) roster. The team also announced that infielder Taylor Motter was selected from the Memphis (AAA) roster, and has been added to the team’s 40-player Major League roster.
Three first-time Cardinals are anticipated to be on the team’s Opening Day roster with All-Star catcher Willson Contreras and 2020 1st-round draft selection rookie Jordan Walker joining Motter among those who will be making their Cardinals debuts.
The Cardinals anticipated 26-player Opening Day roster projects as follows, but will not become official until Thursday, March 30:
PITCHERS (13): Jack Flaherty-RHP, Giovanny Gallegos-RHP, Ryan Helsley-RHP, Jordan Hicks-RHP, Steven Matz-LHP, Miles Mikolas-RHP, Jordan Montgomery-LHP, Packy Naughton-LHP, Andre Pallante-RHP, Chris Stratton-RHP, Zack Thompson-LHP, Drew VerHagen-RHP, and Jake Woodford-RHP;
CATCHERS (2): Willson Contreras and Andrew Knizner;
INFIELDERS (6): Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman and Taylor Motter;
OUTFIELDERS (5): Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Walker;
INJURED LIST (3): Paul DeJong-INF, Wilking Rodríguez-RHP, Adam Wainwright-RHP.
Brian Walton’s take
No surprises here for me, though I know some remain skeptical about Walker, who has no experience about Double-A other than the 2022 Arizona Fall League.
I expect the 20-year-old will start most days in one of the corner outfield positions and will remain with the club as long as he hits. But if he enters a prolonged slump, the national top 10 prospect will probably be sent to Memphis, rather than sit on the St. Louis bench.
The next question I have is what Walker’s regular season uniform number will be. He will surely move up from his spring number 67, with my prediction all along to be the number 8. It has been unused since the firing of manager Mike Shildt following the 2021 season.
There are multiple ways to look at this, but my view is that the uniform number is not what puts pressure on a player. But there is no doubt that hopes are very high for Walker.
Other current Cardinals assigned single digits are outfielder Dylan Carlson (3) and Andrew Knizner (7). Of course, numbers 1, 2, 6 and 9 are retired, and 4 and 5 will soon have their day in the sun, as well. By process of elimination, that leaves number 8.
My guess was wrong. Number 18, it is, as Walker disclosed to the media on Sunday morning.
New #STLCards slugger Jordan Walker looked over the list of available numbers & saw No. 18 — the number he wore while playing travel ball in Georgia.
He wore No. 22 in Double-A because he was born on May 22, 2002 at 2:22 P.M. That number is already worn by RHP Jack Flaherty.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 26, 2023
In terms of roster and playing time, Yepez is the player most immediately and directly affected by Walker’s emergence, though Carlson could lose some outfield at-bats to the rookie.
Motter, 33, who is well-traveled and versatile but not a core player, will likely remain on the active roster at least until DeJong’s ailing back is ready to go. Apparently, Brendan Donovan as the only shortstop reserve behind Tommy Edman was not considered adequate, but Motter spent most of his spring at the corners.
Anyway, I think this is a short-term solution, with a decent chance that Motter’s 40-man spot will be sacrificed later in the season as roster needs change.
On the pitching side, Adam Wainwright’s groin injury opened the door for Jake Woodford to step into the rotation. That also left one fewer right-handed bullpen contender – for now. Wainwright will be sidelined for “several weeks”, but his spring build-up progression will need to be restarted, increasing his time out. This is Woodford’s biggest and best chance to prove he is starting rotation material.
But we should not forget that Matthew Liberatore, Dakota Hudson and Connor Thomas are among others in the Memphis rotation angling to unseat Woodford (or any of the other four).
Until Saturday, five competitors remained for two left-handed bullpen spots. Based on their results this spring, I had expected Thompson and Naughton to make the team. Cabrera struggled at times in 2022 and spent much of the second half in Triple-A. He was away this spring for the World Baseball Classic. Romero also pitched at both levels after joining the organization during 2022. Without a roster spot, Suarez had a taller hill to climb this spring and did not stand high enough comparatively to unseat one of the others.
There was some speculation that reserve catcher Knizner’s job was being threatened by minor league free agent signee Tres Barrera. However, the latter is also hurt, making the call for the team.
Still ahead is a 40-man roster move which is required prior to Opening Day to accommodate Walker. That could be a trade, a release, an outright or a move of one of the injured players to the 60-day injured list. The 40-man spot used by Motter was created when reliever Freddy Pacheco was claimed off waivers by Detroit on March 14.
In addition to the two new 40-man players mentioned above, here are the eight non-roster invitees who survived until the final cut of spring. All should be key members of the 2023 Memphis Redbirds. Kudos to them!
| P | C | IF | OF |
| Andrew Suarez (L) | Pedro Pages | Kramer Robertson | Oscar Mercado |
| Tres Barrera | Masyn Winn | ||
| Juniel Querecuto | |||
| Luken Baker |
Most impressive was middle infielder Masyn Winn. The Cardinal Nation’s second-ranked prospect opened eyes this spring with a more developed offensive approach than expected. With a bit more experience under his belt, the new 21-year-old could have made the team instead of Motter.
However, there is not a starting berth yet available for Winn, so he is better served for now to log his initial Triple-A experience. I expect Winn to become a St. Louis mainstay no later than this time next year.
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol on Masyn Winn’s play: “Please, that play’s a joke. Your superstars don’t make that play. The athleticism, the focus with that hop & coming across the bag & having enough arm strength … It’s a fun time to be a Cardinal (with the young talent).” https://t.co/IhNn3YXIeq
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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