Cardinals MiLB Shuffle Includes New Flamethrower, Matt Pushard Rehab

The St. Louis Cardinals made a handful of moves down in the minor leagues on Tuesday.

Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Pushard (67) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a busy day down in the minor leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinals made a handful of announcements, including the fact that right-handed pitcher Matt Pushard will begin a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis and that the club has signed international free agent Leonil De Leon, among other moves.

"LHP Pete Hansen (AAA) and OF Ian Petrutz (A+) have returned from their rehab assignments and been activated from the 7-day IL," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Matt Pushard will begin a Major League rehab assignment with Memphis (AAA). OF Mike Antico (AAA) has been reinstated from the Development List.

"OF [Matt Koperniak] (AAA) has been placed on the Temporary Inactive List. INF Anyelo Encarnación (A+) has been placed on the 7-day IL. We have signed international free agent RHP Leonil De Leon (Dominican Republic) to a minor league deal and assigned him to the DSL."

Matt Pushard To Being Rehab Assignment

Mar 29, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matt Pushard (67) pitches in his major league debut in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Pushard made one appearance with the big league club this season before being placed on the Injured List due to right knee patellar tendinitis. The club announced on March 31 that the rookie was being placed on the 15-Day Injured List. Gordon Graceffo was promoted in his place and has been lights-out with a 1.08 ERA in six appearances.

The Cardinals selected Pushard from the Miami Marlins in the Major League phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. He was the No. 7 overall player selected in that phase of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. When he's healthy, the Cardinals will have to keep him on the big league roster or risk losing him. If the Cardinals opt against keeping him on the roster, by designating him for assignment, perhaps, he would then go through waivers and have to be offered back to the Marlins if he went unclaimed.

Signing Leonil De Leon

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

If you don't know much about De Leon, that wouldn't be shocking at all. He's a 17-year-old right-handed prospect out of the Dominican Republic who signed as an international free agent. Francys Romero of Beisbolfr.com shared on X that De Leon already has a fastball that can reach 96 miles per hour.

Miscellaneous

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Koperniak (89). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Of the rest of the transactions, the one to watch is outfielder Matt Koperniak. As of writing, it's unclear why he was placed on the temporary inactive list. This is something to follow. Beforehand, he was slashing .200/.278/.333 in nine games for Triple-A Memphis. He also played for Team Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic and slashed .333/.538/.333 in four games.