{"id":168584,"date":"2026-03-24T11:43:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T11:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=168584"},"modified":"2026-03-24T11:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T11:43:51","slug":"cardinals-stun-fans-by-snubbing-star-performer-from-opening-day-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=168584","title":{"rendered":"Cardinals Stun Fans by Snubbing Star Performer from Opening Day Roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/files.fanbeat.win\/art\/Vd8HD2WxVvMN.avif\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">IMAGE: Imagn Images<\/div>\n<p>The St. Louis Cardinals have officially announced their Opening Day roster, and as expected, JJ Wetherholt is part of the lineup. This move was anticipated, but there\u2019s a twist that has fans talking.<\/p>\n<p>Nelson Velazquez, who impressed many during spring training, didn\u2019t make the cut. Despite his standout performance, with a .357\/.449\/.667 slash line and four home runs in just 42 at-bats, the Cardinals opted for other options.<\/p>\n<p>Velazquez, a power hitter with previous stints at the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals, seemed poised to fill a power gap in the Cardinals&#8217; outfield. Yet, the team chose to give roster spots to Thomas Saggese, Jose Fermin, Nathan Church, Yohel Pozo, and Ramon Urias instead.<\/p>\n<p>While Velazquez\u2019s exclusion might raise eyebrows, it aligns with the Cardinals&#8217; strategy to develop younger talent like Saggese and Church. For a team in a rebuilding phase, ensuring these players get regular playing time is crucial for their growth. Although it seemed Velazquez could be a key power bat for the Cardinals, the decision to send him down allows the team to focus on nurturing their emerging stars.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how the roster shakes out for the Cardinals as they gear up to face the Tampa Bay Rays at home:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bullpen (8):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>RHP Matt Svanson<\/li>\n<li>RHP Riley O&#8217;Brien<\/li>\n<li>LHP JoJo Romero<\/li>\n<li>RHP Ryne Stanek<\/li>\n<li>RHP George Soriano<\/li>\n<li>RHP Matt Pushard<\/li>\n<li>LHP Justin Bruihl<\/li>\n<li>RHP Chris Roycroft<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Catchers (3):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>C\/DH Ivan Herrera<\/li>\n<li>C Pedro Pages<\/li>\n<li>C\/1B Yohel Pozo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Infield (5):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1B Alec Burleson<\/li>\n<li>2B JJ Wetherholt<\/li>\n<li>SS Masyn Winn<\/li>\n<li>3B Nolan Gorman<\/li>\n<li>INF Ramon Urias<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Outfielders (3):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>OF Jordan Walker<\/li>\n<li>OF Victor Scott II<\/li>\n<li>OF Nathan Church<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Cardinals are all set to kick off the 2026 season, and fans will be eager to see how this roster evolves as the year progresses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IMAGE: Imagn Images The St. Louis Cardinals have officially announced their Opening Day roster, and as expected, JJ Wetherholt is part of the lineup. This move was&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cardinals Stun Fans by Snubbing Star Performer from Opening Day Roster - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=168584\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cardinals Stun Fans by Snubbing Star Performer from Opening Day Roster - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IMAGE: Imagn Images The St. Louis Cardinals have officially announced their Opening Day roster, and as expected, JJ Wetherholt is part of the lineup. 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