The St. Louis Cardinals have officially wrapped up Spring Training, wrapping up their series sweep in Arizona against the Chicago Cubs, and are on their way to Los Angeles for Opening Day on Thursday!
Last weekend, I made my final predictions for the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, and just when I thought things were done changing, more news happened in Arizona. Center fielder Dylan Carlson hit the injured list after colliding with right fielder Jordan Walker in the outfield, thus earning exciting prospect Victor Scott II a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Here is the full breakdown of the official Opening Day roster:
Catchers (2) - Willson Contreras and Ivan Herrera
Infielders (6) - Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Brandon Crawford, and Matt Carpenter
Utility (1) - Brendan Donovan
Outfield (4) - Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Alec Burleson, and Michael Siani
Starting Pitchers (5) - Miles Mikolas, Zack Thompson, Lance Lynn, Steven Matz, and Kyle Gibson
Bullpen (8) - Ryan Helsley, Giovanny Gallegos, Andrew Kittredge, JoJo Romero, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, Riley O'Brien, and Ryan Fernandez
10-Day Injured List (3): Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, and Tommy Edman
15-Day Injured List (3): Sonny Gray, Keynan Middleton, and Drew Rom
Kind of wild to see so many names beginning the year on the injured list, but it's also very exciting to anticipate the debut of Scott and see this team in action for games that actually matter. Fans have been concerned with player performance most of the spring, so it was fun to see this team beat up on the Cubs before they made their way to Los Angeles, even with the games not mattering.
We have a ton of coverage and stories coming previewing Opening Day, the recent developments around the team, and our predictions for the 2024 campaign, so stay tuned for more Cardinals talk!