Cardinals Option Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe to Triple-A

Now that March has arrived, teams have begun to trim their camp rosters down. The St. Louis Cardinals announced on March 2 that eight players were either optioned to the Minors or re-assigned to Minor League camp. The cuts included former first-round pick Cooper Hjerpe, and 2024 MiLB standout Quinn Mathews.

Quinn Mathews was the headliner among the demotions, as the lefty received just one outing before he was re-assigned to the team’s Minor League camp. That performance was strong, as the Cardinals lefty struck out three over two scoreless.

Nonetheless, it shouldn’t be all that surprising Mathews — a non-roster invite — will begin in the Minors, likely at Triple-A. One, the left-hander is not on the 40-man roster, which does come into play at this point of the year.

Two, Mathews didn’t excel in Triple-A. The 24-year-old made just four starts in Memphis last year and struggled to get outs. Mathews conceded 12 runs in 16.2 IP and walked 14 with the Redbirds. For reference, Mathews walked 15 over 52.1 IP.

The Cardinals have plenty of options for their rotation. Likely starters Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, and Miles Mikolas — assuming all are healthy — could be joined by Andre Pallante, Steven Matz, or Michael McGreevy. All three started games at the MLB level last year. Pallante, with 20 starts, was the leader of the bunch.

Cooper Hjerpe, the Cardinals’ 2022 first-round pick, was also re-assigned. Hjerpe, who finished 2024 in Double-A, struck out four over three innings pitched but conceded two runs.

As for other moves made on March 2, the Cardinals optioned Bailey Horn to Memphis (AAA). The Cardinals re-assigned Ian Bedell, Alex Cornwell, Edwin Nunez, Sammy Hernandez, and Carlos Linarez to Minor League camp.

With the moves, the Cardinals now have 39 players on their MLB roster. Additionally, St. Louis has 19 non-roster invitees.