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Cardinals News: Josh Fleming signed, Chase Hampton claimed, Max Rajcic reinstated

The Cardinals joined in on the flurry of roster moves around baseball.
ByJosh Jacobs
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Jul 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Max Rajcic (71) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jul 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Max Rajcic (71) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 60-day injured list designation went away from all 30 Major League teams for the entirety of the offseason today at 4 p.m. Central Time, forcing the St. Louis Cardinals to make some moves today to set their 40-man roster for the offseason.

The moves actually began prior to the deadline, as the Cardinals brought back St. Louis native Josh Fleming on a minor league deal as rotation depth as they head into the offseason. Fleming, 30, has made 81 appearances (25 starts) at the MLB level since 2020 and made six starts with the Memphis Redbirds after latching on with the Cardinals on a minor league deal. He most recently pitched in the Majors earlier this year for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cardinals have a lot of arms who will be vying for starts at the Major League level and in Triple-A next year, but Fleming's presence gives them added depth in case they are hit hard with injuries or want to be patient with the development of some of their arms.

Cardinas News: Chase Hampton claimed, Max Rajcic reinstated in 40-man roster moves

Along with the Fleming signing today came the Cardinals' attempt to clean up their 40-man roster, attempting to pass Chase Hampton through waivers, but the righty ended up being claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.

Hampton was claimed by the Cardinals in late September as their first move of the offseason, but he will not end up making any appearances for the organization. He is a former top-100 prospect with some Major League experience and is a fun project for the Orioles. The Cardinals likely saw today as the best opportunity to pass him through waivers, since a number of other teams were going to have to make moves to save spots, but Baltimore jumped on the opportunity to grab Hampton.

Max Rajcic, who made his MLB debut with the Cardinals this year but saw his season end early due to Tommy John surgery, was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, but will likely need to be added again once the 2027 season begins due to his long recovery ahead.

The Cardinals 40-man roster now sits at 38.

If there is still a Rule 5 draft this offseason, then you can expect to see more 40-man roster moves coming for the Cardinals. Prospects like Jesus Baez and Jacob Odle are Rule 5 elgible this offseason and will surely be added to their 40-man roster. And if the Cardianls want to add free agents or acquire players via trade that are already on other clubs' 40-man rosters, they'll need more space to do so.

The next month is widely expected to be extremely active across baseball as clubs try to get work done before the lockout. The Cardinals will be one of those teams, looking to add a starter and/or reliever to their mix. All of these moves have impacts on one another, so as the Cardinals begin to shuffle their deck, the 40-man roster will continue to churn.

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