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The St. Louis Cardinals made some more roster cuts with spring training winding down, coming closer to setting their Opening Day rotation.

The St. Louis Cardinals are getting closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster for 2026. There are still battles for positions on the roster. Left field appears to still be open, but the Cardinals are close to setting their pitching staff.

The Cardinals made a lot of trades this offseason. They acquired right-hander Richard Fitts from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Sonny Gray in their first move of the winter.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch confirmed that Fitts was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

“According to the MiLB transactions, the Cardinals have optioned Richard Fitts to Class AAA Memphis today,” Goold posted on X.

St. Louis Cardinals option Richard Fitts

Fitts struggled in Grapefruit League play this spring, going 2-1 but posting a 5.79 ERA in three starts. However, he still is important to have in the organization. The Cardinals needed to acquire pitching depth last offseason, and Chaim Bloom was able to do just that in the four trades he made.

The Cardinals are rebuilding this year and not focused on contention. But with Fitts now down in the minor leagues, the Cardinals’ starting rotation appears to be set heading into the season.

Right-hander Hunter Dobbins, acquired from Boston in the Willson Contreras deal, will start the season on the injured list after suffering a torn ACL during the 2025 campaign. That eliminated one option from consideration.

With both starters in Memphis, the Cardinals will likely begin the season with a rotation that features Matthew Liberatore, Dustin May, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante. However, Fitts will be available in the event that there is an injury.

Despite not having Gray anymore, the Cardinals are much deeper on the pitching side than they have been in recent years, so if anything happens, they’ll have Fitts ready to go and can immediately plug him into the rotation.

The starting rotation appears to be mostly set unless a pitcher goes down with an injury, so the Cardinals should be in good shape in terms of depth.

It’s still an unproven rotation, but young pitchers will have the opportunity to prove themselves and potentially strengthen the rotation.

Next steps for Fitts

Fitts may not be down in the minor leagues for too long. Obviously, injuries can happen, but if the Cardinals ever decide to go with a six-man rotation, Fitts can be called up and easily plugged in when the regular five starters need an extra day of rest.

The Cardinals worked this strategy to perfection last year, using McGreevy in short bursts to give the rest of the rotation a break. They can easily work this strategy again if need be, but with Fitts in McGreevy’s role.

The strategy worked largely because the Cardinals never had to place a starter on the injured list last year. There is no guarantee it will work again, but it proved to be effective in 2025, and it could be a good strategy for Bloom and manager Oli Marmol to employ yet again in 2026.

We’ll see how the Cardinals decide to operate.

Curt Bishop Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who has written for various outlets including Heavy Sports, Sports Illustrated, FanSided, The Sporting News, Newsweek and Yardbarker. His work entails mostly breaking and trending news with a concentration on Major League Baseball (MLB). Curt graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus on emerging and new media, as well as a music minor. More about Curt Bishop