St. Louis Cardinals

Ivan Herrera

C

It's unknown why Herrera was taken out of the lineup, but the Cardinals should provide some clarity relatively soon. In the meantime, Chase Davis will pick up a few reps as St. Louis' designated hitter.

Riley O'Brien

RP

O'Brien got through a live batting practice session Monday healthy, though he had trouble with his footing due to a wet mound. He'll face hitters in a shorter live BP session Thursday before progressing to game action. O'Brien has been battling a minor calf strain but is expected to have enough time to prep for Opening Day, barring setbacks. He is in the mix to serve as closer for the Cardinals this season.

Lars Nootbaar

LF

Nootbaar is expected to begin the season on the 10-day injured list as he continues his recovery from offseason surgery on both heels. He's going through baseball activities and will continue to ramp things up as his health allows, but there's no target date for his participation in games. A clearer picture regarding Nootbaar's timetable should be available later this month.

Zack Thompson

RP

Thompson was attending big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he hadn't appeared in any Grapefruit League games while continuing to work his way back from arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder, which he underwent back in August. The southpaw has initiated a throwing program but hasn't yet gotten back on a mound, so he still has multiple checkpoints to reach in the recovery process before being deemed ready for game action.

Cooper Hjerpe

SP

It's the first time he's thrown from the mound since last April's Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is aiming to make his season debut around mid-July. The left-hander collected a 3.27 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB in 52.1 innings at Double-A Springfield in 2024.

Hunter Dobbins

SP

Recovering from last July's right ACL surgery, Dobbins has thrown bullpen sessions and live batting practice sessions with the rest of the Cardinals' pitchers, but his fielding and running has been limited. As long as he gains clearance Wednesday, Dobbins should make some Grapefruit League appearances for St. Louis. However, the late start likely takes him out of the Opening Day rotation competition.

Ixan Henderson

SP

Henderson scored an invitation to big-league camp after posting a 2.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 134:51 K:BB in 132 innings across 25 starts at Double-A Springfield in 2025, but he'll have to wait to make a good impression. It's unclear when the lefty might be cleared to resume throwing. Once he is healthy, Henderson will likely move up to Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2026 season.

Victor Santos

RP

Santos, whom the Cardinals recently acquired from the Red Sox in the deal that sent outfielder Tyler O'Neill to Boston, looks to be healthy again after he missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from an elbow injury. When he was healthy in 2022, the 23-year-old right-hander pitched to a 4.97 ERA while striking out 126 batters over 145 innings between stops at Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland. Santos will likely begin his tenure in the St. Louis organization as rotation depth at Triple-A Memphis.

Sem Robberse

SP

Robberse was non-tendered by St. Louis on Friday, but the club has since elected to bring him back on a minor-league deal. He's currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the first few months of the 2026 campaign.