The St. Louis Cardinals have been dealt some heavy blows at the big league level so far this season but also in the minors.
It was shared on Tuesday by The Athletic's Katie Woo that 2022 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe will miss the entire 2025 season and part of the 2026 season as he underwent Tommy John surgery.
"Cardinals announce 2022 first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe has undergone Tommy John surgery," Woo said. "He will miss the rest of the 2025 season and is expected to return midway through 2026."
Hjerpe was selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft. This isn't the first time the lefty has had to undergo surgery. He had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow not long after landing in the organization.
He made his professional debut in 2023 and appeared in just 10 games with the High-A Peoria Peoria Chiefs. In 2024, he started 15 games with Peoria and the Double-A Springfield Cardinals and had a 3.27 ERA and 76-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52 1/3 innings pitched.
Last year he was ranked as the Cardinals No. 7 prospect but dropped down to No. 12 this year. MLB.com is projecting him to make his big league debut in 2026, but this injury surely will play a role in that. Hopefully, he's able to make a full recovery and get back on track quickly.
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