Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Pushard (67) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cardinals MiLB Shuffle Includes New Flamethrower, Matt Pushard Rehab

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 14, 2026 7:00 PM ET

It was a busy day down in the minor leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinals made a handful of announcements, including the fact that right-handed pitcher Matt Pushard will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis and that the club has signed international free agent Leonil De Leon, among other moves.

"LHP Pete Hansen (AAA) and OF Ian Petrutz (A+) have returned from their rehab assignments and been activated from the 7-day IL," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Matt Pushard will begin a Major League rehab assignment with Memphis (AAA). OF Mike Antico (AAA) has been reinstated from the Development List.

"OF [Matt Koperniak] (AAA) has been placed on the Temporary Inactive List. INF Anyelo Encarnación (A+) has been placed on the 7-day IL. We have signed international free agent RHP Leonil De Leon (Dominican Republic) to a minor league deal and assigned him to the DSL."

Matt Pushard To Being Rehab Assignment

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Pushard made one appearance with the big league club this season before being placed on the Injured List due to right knee patellar tendinitis. The club announced on March 31 that the rookie was being placed on the 15-Day Injured List. Gordon Graceffo was promoted in his place and has been lights-out with a 1.08 ERA in six appearances.

The Cardinals selected Pushard from the Miami Marlins in the Major League phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. He was the No. 7 overall player selected in that phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. When he's healthy, the Cardinals will have to keep him on the big league roster or risk losing him. If the Cardinals opt against keeping him on the roster, by designating him for assignment, perhaps, he would then go through waivers and have to be offered back to the Marlins if he went unclaimed.

Signing Leonil De Leon

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If you don't know much about De Leon, that wouldn't be shocking at all. He's a 17-year-old right-handed prospect out of the Dominican Republic who signed as an international free agent. Francys Romero of Beisbolfr.com shared on X that De Leon already has a fastball that can reach 96 miles per hour.

Miscellaneous

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Of the rest of the transactions, the one to watch is outfielder Matt Koperniak. As of writing, it's unclear why he was placed on the temporary inactive list. This is something to follow. Beforehand, he was slashing .200/.278/.333 in nine games for Triple-A Memphis. He also played for Team Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic and slashed .333/.538/.333 in four games.

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

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