Cardinals Officially Release 7-Year Veteran With 8 Games Left

The St. Louis Cardinals opted to move on from the veteran infielder officially.

Apr 17, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ramon Urias (29) takes batting practice before the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals officially turned the page on veteran infielder Ramón Urías on Saturday.

St. Louis designated Urías for assignment earlier in the week to make room on the roster for the return of rookie phenom JJ Wetherholt. On Saturday, the Cardinals announced that rather than outrighting him down to the minors, or anything of that nature, St. Louis opted to release the former Gold Glove Award winner. The move has been reflected on the league's official transaction log.

The Urías era in St. Louis was unfortunate. The 32-year-old has plenty of talent. He's a former Gold Glove Award winner and is a seven-year big leaguer with a career .252 batting average. On paper, he was a very good addition. At the time, the Cardinals needed a veteran to bring onto this young roster and depth in the infield was a bit thin. There was a time when Urías was getting consistent looks at third base, but injuries completely derailed his season — and stint in St. Louis.

The Cardinals Moved On From The Veteran Infielder

Sep 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ramon Urias (29) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He spent months on the Injured List. On May 3, he played his final game before coming back on Aug. 23. He missed over three months and then when he did return, he struggled offensively. From Aug. 23 through Sep. 15, Urías slashed .138/.219/.345 with a .564 OPS, two homers, four RBIs, and five runs scored in 18 games played.

At the same time, Thomas Saggese has established himself once again as an infield option for the Cardinals all over the place. Saggese has slashed .355/.394/.548 with a .943 OPS, three homers and nine RBIs since returning to the big leagues on Aug. 29. He has gotten time at second base, shortstop and third base. That has made the infield a bit more expandable when it comes to Urías. Wetherholt is healthy. Masyn Winn is healthy. Saggese has gotten looks at third base and Nolan Gorman is on the big league roster as well. There just aren't many spots to go around and unfortunately, things didn't work out with Urías.

Now, he heads to the open market with just over one week to go in the 2026 season. At this point, it wouldn't be a shock if his season was over. He's someone who should get another opportunity somewhere for the 2027 season. But things just didn't work out in St. Louis, unfortunately.