6 players the Cardinals are holding back this year

Matt Koperniak

Matt Koperniak was added to the 40-man roster prior to the Rule 5 draft so the Cardinals could protect him from being selected by a rival team after hitting at every level he has played at since being signed as an undrafted free agent during the COVID season. The left-handed hitting outfielder is a career .292 hitter in the minor leagues, and he has hit 60 homers in his four-plus years in the lower levels.

Koperniak seemed like the next Cardinals player who came out of nowhere to have a productive stretch with the big league club when the 27-year-old put together a strong Spring Training. The Cardinals gave him 31 at-bats during the exhibition season, and he took advantage of the opportunity, hitting .355 with three doubles and two homers. His name was commonly floated around for someone who could have grabbed the fourth outfielder spot from Michael Siani, who contributes little on the offensive side of the ball but plays elite-level defense. Koperniak was seen as an option to steal that roster spot not just because of his hitting ability, but because he is no slouch on defense either, being graded as a 55-grade defender who can play all three outfield spots.

The outfielder came into the season as the Cardinals' 22nd-ranked prospect with the potential to make his major league debut at some point during the 2025 season. Even with his productive spring, the Cardinals decided to go with the known commodity in Siani and sent Koperniak back down to Memphis, where he hit .309 with 20 homers last year. Siani's stay in St. Louis did not last long, but longer than many wanted, as his defensive value did not hold much priority for a team that has not held many leads late in games. When Masyn Winn was deemed healthy enough to return, the Cardinals made the seemingly tough decision and sent Siani to Memphis, opting to keep Saggese on the roster.

The current outfield alignment has two left-handed hitters already in the starting lineup with another in Brendan Donovan, who is able to fill in when someone needs a day off. While lefties are a great resource to have, it creates a potential for late-game issues with opposing bullpens, and that was surely part of the decision-making process that sent Koperniak back down to the minors. As with Saggese, Koperniak could play himself into DH opportunities if Burleson is able to tap into this power.

However, the 2025 season has been a struggle so far for Koperniak, as he is only hitting .179 in 18 games. Despite the low batting average, he has made a good adjustment at the plate and trimmed his strikeout rate from around 19% to 13%, but his walk rate has plummeted to 3.6% after ranging between 8-10% throughout his career. This could mean that Koperniak is starting to be more aggressive early in the count and chasing pitches he normally would not have. If he can right the ship in the next month, he could see his name brought up as a potential reinforcement for the St. Louis offense.