Cardinals Demote Cooper Hjerpe in Surprise Move With 3 Games Left

The St. Louis Cardinals are sending Cooper Hjerpe down.

Sep 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Cooper Hjerpe (56) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have just three games left in the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, and yet they're still tinkering with the back of the roster.

On Thursday, the Cardinals faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates and lost 2-1. With the loss, the Cardinals are now 77-82 on the season with three games to be played against the Milwaukee Brewers. On Thursday, rookie lefty Cooper Hjerpe piggybacked off Kyle Leahy and tossed 3 1/3 shutout innings in his second-best big league outing yet. It will be his last one in the 2026 season, though.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Hjerpe has been optioned to Triple-A so St. Louis could add a fresh arm for the Brewers series.

"Cardinals optioned Cooper Hjerpe after the game today so they can add a fresh, available arm for the series in Milwaukee," Goold wrote. "Corresponding move will be finalized later as Memphis has a playoff game tonight. Hjerpe impressed even today in MLB, after coming back from surgery."

The Cardinals Sent Cooper Hjerpe Down

Sep 18, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Cooper Hjerpe (56) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arguably, the move is a bit surprising. Hjerpe did toss 74 pitches, so there's a good chance that he won't be able to go again before the regular season wraps up on Sep. 27. Since his promotion, the Cardinals have used Hjerpe every six days. His first outing came on Sep. 6, followed by appearances on Sep. 12, Sep. 18 and Sep. 24. So, again, it makes sense that he wouldn't be pitching between now and Sep. 27.

But arguably it would've been better to keep him around the big leagues for the final few days of the regular season, rather than being optioned. Even if he doesn't pitch again, the rosters have been expanded to 28 players since Sep. 1, so the Cardinals already have more pitchers than they did for the majority of the season. There are three games left and the Cardinals have guaranteed themselves a season below .500 with their 82nd loss of the campaign. Unless the Cardinals are going to call up an intriguing prospect, like Jurrangelo Cijntje, this feels like a move not necessarily necessary with the campaign winding down. Plus, it burns through an option at a time when St. Louis really didn't need to.

Again, Hjerpe likely wasn't going to pitch, that's why St. Louis is looking for a fresh arm. But with three games to go, the logistics of the move are what is unnecessary, unless St. Louis gives a guy a shot who could impact the 2027 club right away.