Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images David Kohl-Imagn Images

Cardinals Release Longtime RHP; Announce 8 Roster Moves

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals announced a flurry of moves down in the minors on Tuesday.

St. Louis took to social media to announce eight total moves headlined by the promotion of No. 16 prospect Chen-Wei Lin to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. Along with all of the moves, the Cardinals also announced the release of right-handed pitcher Leonardo Taveras after roughly eight years in the Caridnals' organization.

"RHP Chen-Wei Lin has been transferred from Peoria (A+) to Springfield (AA)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Brandt Thompson (AA) will begin a rehab assignment with Peoria. RHP Tanner Franklin and C Sammy Hernandez have been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Peoria. 1B/C Josh Kross (A+) has been placed on the 7-day IL. C Alex Birge, RHP Alex Breckheimer, and RHP Bruno Lopez have been transferred from the FCL to Palm Beach.

Cardinals announce minor league transactions

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"INF Jonathan Mejia (A) has been placed on the Development List. RHP Giovanni Vargas has been transferred from Palm Beach to the FCL. RHP Leonardo Taveras (AA) has been given his unconditional release."

Taveras was the lone cut from Tuesday's announced moves. He began his professional career way back in 2017 in the Dominican Summer League with the Cardinals. He has been working his way up through the Cardinals' farm system ever since and made it as high as Triple-A, but couldn't get over the hump to the big leauges. This season, he has a 6.02 ERA in 28 appeances total across Triple-A and Double-A.

Wei Lin is the big name going up. He was great in 2024 with the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals. He had a 2.79 ERA in 22 starts. This year, he has only made 13 starts across Class-A and High-A and has a 4.65 ERA to show for it.

Tanner Franklin is another guy to watch. He was a second-round pick in 2025 by the Cardinals and now will make the jump to the High-A Peoria Chiefs. It was a busy day down in the minors for St. Louis, for sure.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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