Cardinals Opening Day roster prediction with just 2 weeks remaining of camp

Infield (6): Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Ramon Urias, and Jose Fermin

The Cardinals' starting infield is set in stone, with JJ Wetherholt and Masyn Winn set to hold down the middle of the diamond while Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman man the corners. The real question revolves around who else will get opportunities.

The Cardinals signed Ramon Urias to be one of those options earlier in camp, as the 31-year-old former Gold Glover will bring the Cardinals a stable veteran presence off the bench with plus defense and a history of above-average offense, although 2025 was the worst season of his career at the plate. I expect the Cardinals' infield to play most days, with Urias being the guy who fills in as needed.

That's partially why we've seen Jose Fermin and Thomas Saggese get so many opportunities in the outfield this year, with both making starts in left field and center field in camp. While I could totally see both making the roster, that will heavily depend on how they want to handle which outfielders make the roster (more on that later).

In this scenario, Thomas Saggese doesn't make the cut, not because he isn't talented enough, but because the playing time will be limited, and I believe the Cardinals would rather have him play every day in Memphis to begin the year. This is a very similar situation to Crooks, and both players could be in St. Louis relatively early into the season.

Fermin is out of minor league options, and I don't think the Cardinals want to let him go, so he makes the roster here as a utility man who can play most infield positions and be a right-handed bat for the outfield as needed. I know Fermin has some strong supporters within the organization, and he did post some great numbers at both Triple-A (147 wRC+) and at the Major League level (129 wRC+) in limited playing time

I'll be very curious to see how long the Cardinals are willing to let Gorman go for if they see him struggling at the plate. They've been clear that they want to see what he can do this year, but I don't imagine that patience will last more than half the year.

Just missed: Thomas Saggese