Evaluating the recent additions to the Cardinals 40 man roster

On Tuesday, the St.Louis Cardinals announced that they have added four minor league players to their 40-man roster. Just in time to meet the 6 PM EST deadline that protects these players from potentially being selected by other teams in the Rule 5 Draft in December. The Cardinals also announced that Drew Rom cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.

We saw a handful of prospects debut for the Cardinals in 2024, and we could see this group of players who were added to the 40-man in 2025. When it comes to the players who were protected from the Rule 5 and added to the 40-man roster, there are a couple of players who have made steady progress in the minor leagues but have never really been considered top prospects, there is one who is still unproven but has a very high ceiling, and then there is one player who has been highly regarded for some time now. And that is who we will discuss first.

Right handed pitcher Tink Hence was added to the 40 man roster

Hence has been considered by many as the Cardinals' best-pitching prospects for some time now, and the Cardinals have been very careful with his development. The 2020 MLB Draft was only five rounds due to the pandemic, but the Cardinals found talent that could be cornerstones in St.Louis for the next decade with names like Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn, and Alec Burleson, and Hence is next in line.

In 2024 Hence made 20 starts with Springfield in Double A, going 4-3 with a 2.71 ERA, and struck out 109 batters in 79.2 innings, good enough for a 12.3 K/9. He was the most obvious player to protect in my opinion, he hasn't quite put it all together yet to say he's ready to contribute in a big-league rotation, but he is trending in the right direction, and could be a fixture in the Cardinals rotation for years to come.

Right handed pitcher Tekoah Roby was added to the 40 man roster

Roby was one of the arms acquired in 2023 from the Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery-Chris Stratton trade. Injuries and ineffectiveness have dampened with his progressions since coming to the Cardinals organization.

Since being traded, Roby has only pitched in 50.1 innings, and last year he had an ERA over 6.50 in 10 combined starts with Palm Beach (A), and Springfield (AA). But protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft tells you that the Cardinals are still high on Roby, and are hoping the injuries are behind him going into next season, and I think it's the right decision. It's way too early to run the risk of letting Roby go into the Rule 5 Draft. The beginning of his tenure in the organization hasn't been smooth sailing, but there's a reason MLB.com still has him sixth on the Cardinals prospect list. The Cardinals would benefit greatly if Roby can put it together, and there is still plenty of time to do that.

Outfielder Matt Koperniak was added to the 40 man roster

Koperniak had a breakout season at the plate with Memphis in 2024, and he is a great story. Born in the United Kingdom, he played his college ball at Trinity College in Connecticut, a Division 3 college before signing on with the Cardinals.

He has seen progressive improvement in his hitting every season in the minors. In Memphis this year he surpassed career highs in average (.309), SLG (.512), OPS (.882), home runs (20), and extra-base hits (51). You can consider Koperniak a " late bloomer " in a sense, considering that by the time Spring Training starts, he will be 27 years old. But you never know what could happen, a spot could open up and he could answer the bell.

The Cardinals lacked depth on the 40-man roster when it comes to outfielders, considering a few of those players could likely see equal time in the infield or maybe even DH'ing (Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Jordan Walker for example), Koperniak provides that depth, and this could be the last chance the Cardinals have to see what they have in him, so I like the move.

Relief pitcher Matt Svanson was added to the 40 man roster

Svanson was acquired by the Cardinals in the Paul DeJong trade with the Blue Jays in 2023. He is another player that is a little older than most minor leaguers (26 years old in January) but he has pitched well in Springfield since the trade.

He served as Springfields closer this season and he recorded 27 saves, tying him with Mark Worrell and Chris Perez for the most in a single season. I would expect Svanson to start next season in Memphis but he provides some solid bullpen depth and brings late inning experience. 

This is another decision that I think is the right one, he’s found some success in the Cardinals organization, so what do you have to lose by keeping him around? If Ryan Fernandez (the Cardinals Rule 5 selection last year) has a sophomore slump, if Andrew Kittredge doesn’t re-sign, or if Ryan Helsley is traded, Svanson is a low-risk, high-reward option for the Cardinals bullpen next season. And for some extra points, the Cardinals have already won this trade, considering that Paul DeJong failed to record a hit in his brief tenure in Toronto.

To conclude things, if the Cardinals were to protect four players from the Rule 5 draft, the 4 players they selected were the ones I would’ve picked. The 40-man roster now has a reasonable amount of depth with some upside and it doesn’t have as much dead weight. It’s nice to not have Alfonso Rivas and Jared Young on the 40-man anymore. One player that I could’ve argued to protect was pitcher Darlin Saladin who had a strong season in the minors, but he needs to have that success in higher levels in the minors before we can get a better glimpse of what his potential is. 

The 40-man roster currently sits at 39 for the Cardinals, which opens the door for them to make a trade, or sign someone in free agency. Overall I’d say the Cardinals made the right moves on Tuesday.