Cardinals Send Down 3-Year MLB Vet Amid Flurry of Roster Cuts

The St. Louis Cardinals are less than two weeks away from Opening Day. Things are starting to get real and the Cardinals made another wave of roster cuts on Sunday in preparation for the March 26 Opening Day showdown against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Cardinals made seven roster cuts from big league camp on Sunday, including right-handed pitcher Luis Gastellum, right-handed pitcher Gerson Moreno, left-handed pitcher Packy Naughton, outfielder Matt Koperniak, infielder Blaze Jordan, infielder Jeremy Rivas and right-handed pitcher Ryan Fernandez.

We have made the following roster moves.

Our Spring Training roster now stands at 36 players. pic.twitter.com/Ec9PMFBI42
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) March 15, 2026

The Cardinals had a busy day on Sunday

Feb 21, 2024; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Packy Naughton (30). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Like the vast majority of the roster cuts so far in Spring Training, the seven cuts on Sunday aren't overtly shocking.

Naughton going down isn't shocking, but it is the most interesting move. Naughton should help this club out at some point in 2026. He appeared in six games with St. Louis throughout camp and logged a 1.50 ERA across six innings of work. Naughton has 37 games of big league experience under his belt in three seasons, but hasn't gotten into a big league game since 2023.

In 2024, he pitched in 15 games down in the minors and had a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings pitched. Naughton missed the entire 2025 season, though, due to injury. The fact that he was healthy throughout camp is a positive in itself. If he can carry the momentum into the 2026 season down in Triple-A, he should be back in the majors at some point. He was a bright spot in camp and his time is coming.

The Cardinals will kick off the 2026 season on March 26 against the Rays. The Cardinals aren't done trimming down the roster quite yet. For St. Louis, the biggest variables are left field and the bullpen. As of right now, all of the left field options are all in big league camp, including Nelson Velázquez, Thomas Saggese, José Fermín and Nathan Church. For the bullpen, it's much more difficult to project, especially with the club having six rotation options as well.

The Cardinals have some more work to do and these seven roster cuts are another step in that direction. Opening Day is quickly approaching.