Opening Day is quickly approaching and the St. Louis Cardinals are putting the finishing touches on their major and minor league rosters. With the regular season beginning in less than a week, the Cardinals have utilized the long-term injured list to start their roster shuffling.

Sem Robberse and Zack Thompson are among the names expected to miss signicant time in the 2026 season

None of the names that the Cardinals moved to the minor league 60-day injured list will clear up roster spots for JJ Wetherholt or the resurgent Nelson Velázquez, but the moves at least tell a little bit of a story for the pitchers. Among the five players put on the IL, Sem Robberse and Zack Thompson are two of the higher-profile arms who were sent out of big league camp early, while each has an extensive injury history that is now going to continue into the 2026 season. While the placement on the 60-day tells fans that these guys are expected to miss a couple of months, the minor league requirements for the IL are minimal, so all we can do is speculate what the injuries actually are.

The vagueness of minor league injuries returns #STLCards https://t.co/fjStVQKtwB

— Scott Plaza (@MrPlaztastic17) March 20, 2026

Robberse underwent Tommy John surgery last season, so that was a clear move to make while Thompson was brought back as a Non-Roster Invitee, but is apparently going through more issues. Joining these two on the injured list are pitchers Brandon Clarke, who had surgery to repair an aneurysm in his shoulder, draft pick Frank Elissalt, and A-ball arm Andrew Dutkanych lV. We may not get an update on either of the final two names unless the minor league staff or Chaim Bloom is directly asked, but any missed time for prospects is detrimental to their development. Also in the announcement was righty Reiner Lopez, who is a soon-to-be 20-year-old righty who has spent the last two years getting innings in the DSL.

While we still wait to see what 40-man moves are made, the minor league assignments do clear some space for prospects who are about to shipped out to their respective levels. Once those become final, we should quickly hear about any major league players who could be shifted to the long-term IL, the most notable of which could be Lars Nootbaar. If Noot’s rehab continues to progress slowly, he is an easy candidate for the 60-day injured list and clear a spot for Wetherholt. If Marmol, Bloom, and crew feel that Velazquez has earned a spot on the Opening Day roster, another move will need to be made. This move does not need to be an IL move, but that could be a way for the Cardinals to create an opening without putting a player on the open market through DFA.

Minor leaguers Cooper Hjerpe and Ixan Henderson are currently rehabbing arm issues of their own, and if the Cardinals do not care about starting their service clocks, they could be the next names added to the list. If service time implications are a discussion point, then a DFA or waiver placement could just as easily free up a spot, but those players (Matt Pushard or Jose Fermin) would be able to be claimed by any other team before the Cardinals could send them to the minors.