The St. Louis Cardinals officially promoted one of the top rising talents in their farm system on Tuesday.
Reports emerged Monday that the club’s No. 2 prospect, Rainiel Rodríguez, was being elevated to Double-A Springfield. The Cardinals confirmed the promotion Tuesday and also announced additional roster moves. Infield prospect Jack Gurevitch earned a promotion to High-A, while outfielder Mike Antico and catcher Carlos Linárez were released from the organization.
“C Rainiel Rodriguez has been transferred from Peoria (A+) to Springfield (AA),” the Cardinals announced. “1B/3B Jack Gurevitch has been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Peoria. OF Mike Antico (AAA) & C Carlos Linárez (AA) have been given their unconditional release.”
Mike Antico
Mike Antico was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas at Austin. He started his professional career later that year with Class-A Palm Beach and steadily climbed through the organization’s minor league system, eventually reaching Triple-A.
Antico first advanced to Triple-A in 2024 and continued spending time there afterward. During the 2025 season, he appeared in 104 Triple-A games and posted a .279/.366/.420 slash line with a .786 OPS. He also recorded seven home runs, 57 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and 21 doubles.
Prior to being released, Antico struggled offensively, batting just .050/.136/.100 with two walks. He managed only one hit in 20 at-bats before the organization moved on from him.
Carlos Linárez
Linárez is a 24-year-old prospect who has been in the system since 2021. He made it up to Triple-A last year, but kicked off the season down in Double-A. Before his release, he played 13 games and slashed .220/.273/.293 with five RBIs and three stolen bases. Last year, he played in 43 total games and slashed .241/.302/.379 across his 43 games of action with Double-A and Triple-A. He appeared in 40 games in Double-A and three games in Triple-A.
Overall, neither of these moves will impact the Cardinals at all in the majors. Neither was on the big league club or seemingly near the big leagues quite yet. Instead, the big thing to follow simply is Rodríguez moving up to Double-A. He’s now two steps away from the big leagues and will make it there soon enough. With the two prospects out the door, the club now has a little less depth, but nothing too concerning at this moment.
