The St. Louis Cardinals have been making several roster reductions in recent days as they prepare for Opening Day, announcing three additional cuts on Tuesday afternoon.
With just over two weeks remaining before Opening Day, the team is working to finalize its roster as soon as possible so the major league players have ample time to get ready. On Tuesday, the Cardinals revealed that outfielder Chase Davis, right-handed pitcher Max Rajcic, and left-handed pitcher Bruce Zimmermann have been reassigned to the minor league camp.
“We have made the following roster moves,” the Cardinals announced. “Our Spring Training roster now stands at 43 players.”
The Cardinals had a busy day
Davis played in 12 games for the Cardinals in big league camp and slashed .240/.240/.520 with two homers, six RBIs, and three runs scored. He also struck out 12 times over that stretch.
Rajcic pitched in four games for the Cardinals throughout Spring Training and had a 1.50 ERA. He allowed just one earned run across six innings of work while striking out four batters. Zimmermann pitched in three games for the Cardinals and had a 10.38 ERA while allowing five earned runs across 4 1/3 innings pitched.
None of these moves comes as much of a shock at this moment. Of the group, Zimmermann is the only player with big league experience. He has appeared in 39 games at the big league level with the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers, including 28 starts, and has a 5.64 ERA in 164 1/3 innings pitched.
Over the next few weeks, the Cardinals still have more work to do. The bullpen isn’t fully determined. It’s the area of the club with the most variation. This update does take two options out of the running for now. Another area of the club that they have to sort out is left field. With Lars Nootbaar unclear for Opening Day, the Cardinals have to determine a path forward. Also, the Cardinals have to finalize the back of the rotation. These decisions will come. First and foremost, the Cardinals are trimming down the roster.
