5 surprises on St. Louis Cardinals 2022 Opening Day roster

The St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day roster for 2022 included a few surprises.

St. Louis Cardinals fans got their first look at the team’s 2022 Opening Day roster. They got a few surprises out of it as well.

With 15 pitchers and 13 batters, there were bound to be a few headscratchers on the 28-man roster. Until May 2, fans will enjoy a 28-man roster, 29 on days when there is a doubleheader, to get through the first month of the season after a shortened spring training.

On May 2, the roster size will go back to 26, with 27 on days where there will be a doubleheader. Some doubleheaders are already sprinkled throughout the season due to the rescheduling of some games due to the lockout.

More pitching is included because the club is wanting to make sure to not overuse anyone. Also, new manager Oliver Marmol is expected to be big on playing matchups. The availability of more pitchers early will give him the opportunity. Also, Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes on the injured list means Marmol and pitching coach Mike Maddux will need to find the right mix to fill in for them. It’s interesting to see the club not push to bring up prized prospect Matthew Liberatore to fill this need just yet. Luckily, the organization can make sure he is ready to go before rushing him.

Juan Yepez and Nolan Gorman missed out on roster spots due to a need to get some plate appearances at the minor league level after struggling during Spring Training. Brendan Donovan had an excellent Spring Training but missed out on a spot as well to get more plate appearances. After his performance in 2021, Eduardo Sosa was the obvious selection for the bench and to back up the infield.

It’s great to see Cardinals legend Lars Nootbaar get a spot on the roster. He earned it with the way he ended the 2021 season combined with how well he did in the Arizona Fall League and Spring Training.

Let’s take a look at some of the surprises on the roster.