Cardinals Triple-A Standout Is Knocking on the MLB Door

The St. Louis Cardinals have a golden opportunity to give a young guy a chance.

Feb 20, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Cooper Hjerpe (84). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have been clearly thin in the starting rotation over the last few weeks.

Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante are on the Injured List. This has led to the Cardinals turning to bullpen days in the spot that was filled by Dobbins. Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers is going to be another example of this.

But the Cardinals don't need to roll with another bullpen day. There is a young guy down in Triple-A who looks like he deserves a shot on the big league roster. That is Cooper Hjerpe.

The 25-year-old lefty has made 15 starts down in the minors and has a 3.00 ERA in 42 total innings pitched. Now, of course, the Cardinals have been easing him back in. He missed the entire 2025 season. Hjerpe has made two starts with the FCL Cardinals, three starts with Class-A Palm Beach, five starts with Double-A Springfield and five starts with Triple-A Memphis.

Should St. Louis Promote Cooper Hjerpe?

Feb 20, 2025; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Cooper Hjerpe (84). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

He has progressively gotten better and he has actually had his most success this year with Triple-A Memphis. Hjerpe has a 0.95 ERA and a 27-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 19 innings of work. Again, he has been eased back in. Hjerpe is averaging fewer than five innings per start in Triple-A, but why not give him a chance down the stretch in the majors?

Especially if the Cardinals are going to use bullpen days, you wouldn't necessarily need Hjerpe to go deep. Give him a shot and a few innings and see how he adjusts to the big league game on the fly. Getting four innings out of Hjerpe would be better than one inning out of a reliever and then having to use a handful of arms for one game.

The Cardinals aren't out of it in the National League Wild Card race, but these next few weeks need to be treated as a preview of the 2027 season. Give some guys a chance to see if they could be in the picture for next year's team. Hjerpe is someone to watch from that perspective. There are going to be a lot of young guys fighting for a few rotation spots. Hjerpe should be one. If the Cardinals could get a look at him now, it would give them an advantage when they're trying to figure everything out in the spring. What's the harm? Hjerpe should be up soon.