Cardinals Veteran Pitcher Elects to Leave St. Louis, Enter Free Agency

The St. Louis Cardinals are losing a veteran depth piece.

St. Louis promoted six-year big league veteran Bruce Zimmermann to make one appearance for the club in the majors on July 7. He pitched five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers and allowed three earned runs while striking out two batters. After the game, the Cardinals designated the 31-year-old for assignment.

After going through waivers, the Cardinals initially outrighted Zimmermann down to Triple-A, but the organization announced on Wednesday night that the lefty has elected free agency from the organization.

"SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje and INF Brody Moore have been transferred from Springfield (AA) to Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "OF Chase Davis (AA) has been activated from the 7-day IL and transferred to Memphis. RHP Brandt Thompson has been transferred from Memphis to Springfield. C Rainiel Rodriguez & LHP Liam Doyle (AA) have been reinstated from the Temporarily Inactive List.

The Cardinals Lost A Depth Piece

Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bruce Zimmermann (54) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"OF Zach Levenson (AA) has been reinstated from the Development List. ... LHP Bruce Zimmermann (AAA) has elected free agency."

Zimmermann should find another opportunity fairly quickly. He hasn't pitched a ton in the majors, but has been a part of six major league seasons dating back to 2020. Overall, he has pitched in 40 big league games as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and the Cardinals and has a 5.63 career ERA. Most of his career has been spent down in the minors. He has pitched in 170 games down in the minors and has a 3.73 ERA down there in 792 innings of work.

For St. Louis, it's losing a depth starter, but it should be alright. The Cardinals actually are pretty deep down in Triple-A from a starter perspective, especially with Jurrangelo Cijntje being promoted from Double-A. In Triple-A, the Cardinals have Quinn Mathews, Brycen Mautz, and Hunter Dobbins, among others.

Ixan Henderson is working his way back into the mix as well. Plus, it wouldn't be shocking to see Liam Doyle make the jump from Double-A to Triple-A at some point this season.

There are always teams out there looking for pitching. It wouldn't be a shock to see Zimmermann land a minor league deal somewhere in the not-so-distant future. The Cardinals will be alright, though. The Cardinals spent the offseason trading veterans away for pitching depth.

Also, the Cardinals just picked right-handed pitcher Tegan Kuhns with the No. 32 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Cardinals are going to be just fine in the long run, but they did lose a depth piece on Wednesday, though.

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