Cardinals Reveal Opening Day Roster: What Stands Out

There aren't many surprises here. Over the course of the last week, the team has been slowly cutting down the roster. The rotation and bullpen were sorted out last week and St. Louis announced the finishing touches earlier in the week with JJ Wetherholt officially making the roster and Thomas Saggese, Nathan Church and José Fermín getting the first crack at left field. Now, all of the decisions are locked in. So, let's dive in with a few takeaways.

The Cardinals are young and exciting

On first look at the roster, there's a lot of youth. Ramón Urías is a veteran for the club and is just 32 years old. That goes to show just how young this team is. Wetherholt and Jordan Walker are both 23 years old, Masyn Winn is 24 years old, Nolan Gorman, Iván Herrera and Victor Scott II are 25 years old and Alec Burleson is 27 years old. This team is loaded with an eye towards the future. The 2026 season may not be phenomenal in the standings, but it's going to give these young guys plenty of opportunities to play.

Injured List

It's going to be a while before Cardinals fans see Nootbaar in action. St. Louis announced that Nootbaar is being placed on the 60-Day Injured List and Hunter Dobbins is being placed on the 15-Day Injured List.

"OF Lars Nootbaar has been placed on the 60-day IL (bilateral Haglund’s Deformity excision)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Hunter Dobbins has been placed on the 15-day IL (right knee ACL reconstruction-rehab)."

It was known that Nootbaar wouldn't begin the season with the Cardinals, but the 60-Day Injured List is a tough hit. That means that he will be out for at least the first two months of the season. In the meantime, the Cardinals were able to put Wetherholt on the roster without having to make another roster cut. Dobbins has been working his way back slowly in Spring Training and isn't far from game action.

Next Steps

The Cardinals have an important season coming up. While they aren't viewed as contenders, it's going to be massively important for the long-term health of the organization. The story of the season is development and that starts with Oli Marmol putting everyone in the right position. He has had success with young groups so far while managing the Cardinals. He's the right guy for the job and fortunately, the Cardinals locked him up with an extension.