Final predictions for the St. Louis Cardinals' Opening Day Roster

Infielders

(6) - Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, and Taylor Motter

With the injury to DeJong, a lot has changed in terms of how the Cardinals will rotate their infielders to begin the season.

It seems like Brendan Donovan will be the backup shortstop on days when Tommy Edman needs a break, with Gorman taking over at second base and the designated hitter spot opening up for one of their outfielders. Even so, I still believe the team will want another infielder on the roster, in case of injuries or multiple guys need off days.

Taylor Motter has had himself an excellent camp so far, posting a .765 OPS in 50 at-bats for St. Louis. He has played all over the field for the club, making him the perfect "13th position player" on the roster. Motter won't need to be rotated into the lineup as much as one of their young prospects would and should bring versatility, energy, and a decent bat to the team.

You'll see later that a player misses the roster who is more talented than Motter who most assume will make the cut, but with the lack of playing time to go around, I think the Cardinals would rather have their young bats playing in Triple-A and allow a guy like Motter to plug in when needed.

Masyn Winn has had an incredible camp, posting a .878 OPS in 51 at-bats and showing that he is a more advanced hitter than anyone imagined. Still, like other players in this organization, there is not enough opportunity in St. Louis yet, so expect him to begin the year in Memphis, and force his way onto the roster sometime this summer.

Just missed: Masyn Winn, Kramer Robertson, Paul DeJong (will begin the season on the IL)