Cardinals Announce Return, 2 Moves With Rosters Expanding

Rosters have expanded across Major League Baseball with September now here. Rosters are able to expand from 26 players to 28 players. The St. Louis Cardinals responded with two moves on Monday, including the activation of a key piece off of the Injured List.

The Athletic's Katie Woo shared on social media on Monday that the club is activating outfielder Victor Scott II off of the Injured List to go along with the promotion of Chris Roycroft from the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

Cardinals announce two moves wth rosters expanding

Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) celebrates with center fielder Victor Scott II (11) after hitting a three run home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Cardinals roster expansions: Victor Scott II activated off IL, Chris Roycroft recalled from Memphis," Woo said. "Active roster will stand at 28 until a decision is made regarding: Willson Contreras’ appealed suspension."

Scott has been on the Injured List due to an ankle injury. Roycroft has made 14 appearances at the big league level this season. He has logged a 6.92 ERA and a 9-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 innings pitched. Last year, he had a 4.19 ERA in 27 appearances with a 33-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34 1/3 innings pitched.

Roycroft gets the promotion to St. Louis after pitching to a 4.82 ERA in 35 appearances with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.

Scott returns after last appearing in a big league game on August 16th against the New York Yankees. He's slashing .223/.311/.312 with five homers, 35 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, 14 doubles, one triple, and 49 runs scored in 116 games played. He's at 2.2 wins above replacement thanks in large part to solid play defensively.

These moves surely won't be the last made by the Cardinals this season. We should see another in the very near future. Willson Contreras was suspended for six games, as Woo noted, but has been appealing the suspension. Once the league makes its ultimate decision, we could see another corresponding move.

The final month of the regular season is here for the Cardinals. The Cardinals will wrap up its regular season play on Sept. 28th. Right now, the Cardinals don't look like they'll make the playoffs, but maybe the club could surprise over the final few weeks.

More MLB: Cardinals 2025 Breakout Star At Risk Of Injured List Stint