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Ramon Urias Ramon Urias Taking dry swings this week
Thu, May 21, 2026, 9:15 AM
Urias (elbow) will begin taking dry swings this week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: Urias' recovery from tennis elbow is coming along slowly but surely. He will continue building up his hitting progression and is expected to be sidelined several more weeks. Urias put up a .595 OPS with a pair of home runs in his first 25 games for the Cardinals before getting hurt. |
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Lars Nootbaar Lars Nootbaar Aiming for June 1 return
Thu, May 21, 2026, 8:59 AM
The Cardinals are eyeing June 1 as a target date for Nootbaar's (heels) activation from the 60-day injured list, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: Nootbaar homered in his first rehab game with Single-A Palm Beach last week and has since moved up to Triple-A Memphis, going 2-for-6 with a 1:2 BB:K over three contests between the two stops. He's played left field twice and served as a designated hitter once, and Nootbaar is projected to be the Cardinals' everyday left fielder when he rejoins the active roster. The 28-year-old is working his way back from double heel surgery. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Returns after one-game absence
Wed, May 20, 2026, 2:16 PM
Winn (knee) will start at shortstop and bat sixth in Wednesday's contest against the Pirates.
Analysis: Winn had to sit out Tuesday's contest with a left knee injury, but he's feeling well enough to give it a go in the second game of the series after an MRI came back negative. The Gold Glove shortstop enters play Tuesday having slashed just .230/.298/.297 across his last 20 tilts. |
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Pedro Pages Pedro Pages Heading to bench Wednesday
Wed, May 20, 2026, 2:12 PM
Pages is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
Analysis: He'll take a seat to open up a turn behind the plate for Ivan Herrera, who typically serves as the personal catcher for Wednesday's starting pitcher, Michael McGreevy. Pages had started at catcher in three of the Cardinals' previous four tilts. |
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Breaking through at Single-A
Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:40 AM
Odle boasts a 1.80 ERA and 43:14 K:BB over his first 30 innings this season with Single-A Palm Beach.
Analysis: Over his last three starts, the 22-year-old has permitted just one run with a 23:5 K:BB over 15 frames. Odle induced 16 whiffs on 77 pitches and peaked at 99.6 mph in his last outing Tuesday. Though he's a bit old for the Florida State League and is sporting a 10.9 percent walk rate, Odle has big stuff and looks to be putting it all together in 2026. The right-hander should be promoted to High-A Peoria soon. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn MRI on knee is negative
Wed, May 20, 2026, 10:23 AM
Winn is considered day-to-day after an MRI on his left knee came back negative, Amber Winkler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: Winn tweaked his knee in Sunday's loss to the Royals and did not play in Tuesday's series opener against the Pirates. He will be able to "play as tolerated," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Tuesday, which could mean a return to action as soon as Wednesday. Cesar Prieto got a start at shortstop Tuesday in Winn's stead. |
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Ivan Herrera Ivan Herrera Slugs walk-off homer
Tue, May 19, 2026, 11:24 PM
Herrera went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Tuesday in a 9-6 extra-inning win against the Pirates.
Analysis: Herrera was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts when he stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners and no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning. He fell behind in the count 0-2 before clubbing a curveball over the outfield wall for a walk-off home run. Herrera extended his hitting streak to seven games with the blast, and he's batting .267 (8-for-30) with five RBI and four runs over that span. |
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JJ Wetherholt JJ Wetherholt Clubs ninth long ball
Tue, May 19, 2026, 11:18 PM
Wetherholt went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, an additional run and a walk in a 9-6 extra-inning win against the Pirates on Tuesday.
Analysis: Wetherholt opened the scoring in the contest with a two-run blast to center field in the third inning. The talented rookie came into Tuesday without a hit over his past three games, but he's now reached base in 10 consecutive contests, tallying a 7:9 BB:K over that span. Wetherholt is enjoying a fine first MLB campaign, slashing .239/.362/.420 with nine home runs, 35 runs, 24 RBI and five stolen bases through 46 games. |
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Riley O'Brien Riley O'Brien Blows save Tuesday
Tue, May 19, 2026, 11:01 PM
O'Brien blew a save against the Pirates on Tuesday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk over one inning.
Analysis: O'Brien was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. He couldn't get the job done, largely due to his own wildness -- in addition to giving up two singles, he also walked one and hit two Pirates batters. This was O'Brien's fourth blown save of the season, though he still is tied for the third in the league with 13 successful saves. He's held the opponent without an earned run in 19 of his 23 outings but has given up multiple runs in his other four appearances. |
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Matthew Liberatore Matthew Liberatore Fans nine in no-decision
Tue, May 19, 2026, 10:55 PM
Liberatore allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Analysis: Liberatore began the game well, opening with four scoreless frames. However, he lost steam in the fifth, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks before being pulled. While that soured Liberatore's outing significantly, a positive takeaway is that he racked up 13 whiffs and a season-high nine punchouts after previously not striking out more than six batters in any appearance. Liberatore will carry a mediocre 4.70 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 43:20 K:BB across 51.2 innings into his next start, which is lined up to be a road matchup against Cincinnati. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Out of lineup Tuesday
Tue, May 19, 2026, 3:28 PM
Winn (knee) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: Winn had to depart Sunday's game versus the Royals because of left knee discomfort, and he's not feeling well enough to start Tuesday even after Monday's team off day. He had surgery last September to repair the meniscus in his right knee. Cesar Prieto will cover shortstop and bat seventh in the series opener. |
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Jared Shuster Jared Shuster Sent outright to Triple-A
Mon, May 18, 2026, 3:54 PM
The Cardinals outrighted Shuster to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Analysis: Shuster has the ability to decline the outright assignment and elect free agency, but he made the choice to stick around in the organization last month and could do so again. The left-hander has made four relief appearances this season for St. Louis, yielding three runs (two earned) with a 2:3 K:BB over 7.2 frames. |
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Andre Pallante Andre Pallante Strikes out seven in loss
Sun, May 17, 2026, 5:35 PM
Pallante (4-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits and struck out seven without walking a batter over 6.2 innings to take the loss versus the Royals on Sunday.
Analysis: Pallante put forth a good performance, throwing 71 of 99 pitches for strikes in his longest outing of the campaign. This was his best effort in a loss all season, and it's the second time in nine starts he's avoided issuing a walk. Overall, the 27-year-old is at a 4.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB through 49 innings. He has alternated wins and losses over his last seven games, and he'll look to get back in the win column on the road versus the Reds in his next projected outing. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Dealing with knee discomfort
Sun, May 17, 2026, 4:38 PM
Winn is considered day-to-day after exiting Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Royals with left knee discomfort, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: Winn was forced to leave the game in the seventh frame after reaching base on a fielder's choice. Although it sounds like he avoided a major injury, manager Oli Marmol said that the infielder will undergo further examination during the team's off-day Monday. If Wynn is forced to miss any action moving forward, Cesar Prieto could get a shot at taking over at shortstop. |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Exits with apparent leg injury
Sun, May 17, 2026, 3:26 PM
Winn was removed from Sunday's game against the Royals due to an apparent leg injury, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Analysis: Winn grounded into a fielder's choice during the seventh inning and was replaced by a pinch runner after appearing to tweak his leg while running to first base. The Cardinals have a team day off Monday, so the shortstop will have a full day to aid in his recovery ahead of Tuesday's series opener versus Pittsburgh. |
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Promising start at High-A
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:53 AM
Fajardo has posted a 2.83 ERA and 42:6 K:BB over his first 28.2 innings at High-A Peoria this season.
Analysis: His numbers were much better before his last outing, as Fajardo permitted a season-high five runs in four frames while doubling his season walk total with three free passes. Prior to that, he hadn't surrendered more than one earned run in any of his first six outings. Fajardo doesn't turn 20 until October, making his performance during his first stint in the Midwest League all the more impressive. He was acquired from the Red Sox over the winter in the Willson Contreras trade. |
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Offering mixed bag at Double-A
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:46 AM
Cijntje tied his career high with 10 strikeouts but was charged with four runs (three earned) over 4.1 innings in Double-A Springfield's loss to Tulsa on Saturday.
Analysis: Cijntje has struck out 46 batters across 35.2 innings in his eight starts with Springfield, but he's also walked 20 and holds a 6.06 ERA. The switch pitcher has thrown a bit from the left side this season, but his focus has been developing as a right-hander. Cijntje was acquired from the Mariners over the offseason in the deal that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle. |
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Jimmy Crooks Jimmy Crooks Up to 13 home runs at Triple-A
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:39 AM
Crooks went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a pair of walks in Triple-A Memphis' win over Jacksonville.
Analysis: The long ball was Crooks' 13th of the season, which is only one off the career-high 14 homers he had at Memphis in 2025. He's also sporting a 17.7 percent walk rate and 30.6 percent strikeout rate, so it's been a three-true-outcomes season for the 24-year-old backstop. Crooks has a lot more offensive upside than Pedro Pages and is also a good defender, but the Cardinals like Pages' defense and handling of the pitching staff. A promotion for Crooks doesn't appear imminent. |
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Joshua Baez Joshua Baez Homers, strikeouts up at Triple-A
Sun, May 17, 2026, 11:09 AM
Baez is slashing .233/.307/.487 with 10 home runs, seven stolen bases and a 34.3 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A Memphis this season.
Analysis: Baez homered for the third time in four games Friday and then wore the golden sombrero Saturday with strikeouts in all four of his plate appearances. It's a perfect microcosm of his season, as Baez is hitting for plenty of power but also swinging and missing a lot during his first stint in the Pacific Coast League. Cutting his strikeout rate to 20.6 percent between High-A and Double-A in 2025 was a major reason why Baez was able to break out, but his strikeout rate has regressed early on in 2026. Baez still has a chance to debut for the Cardinals at some point this season, but the club likely wants to see him get his whiffs under control first. |
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George Soriano George Soriano Picks up second save
Sat, May 16, 2026, 6:02 PM
Soriano gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Royals.
Analysis: With Riley O'Brien having pitched Thursday and Friday and the Cardinals holding a fairly comfortable three-run lead, Soriano got the call to close things out but served up a solo shot to Jac Caglianone and a single to Isaac Collins to make things interesting. Soriano has worked his way into a high-leverage role in his first season with St. Louis, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB over 19.2 innings with a win and eight holds in 21 appearances in addition to his two saves. |
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