José Fermín's Job Isn't Safe Despite Making Cardinals Opening Day Roster

Regular season action is going to kick off on Wednesday night across Major League Baseball, although the St. Louis Cardinals will not be getting involved in the action until Thursday.

There will be one game played on Wednesday between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. Then, the floodgates will open up on Thursday. The Cardinals have been hard at work over the last week or so finalizing the Opening Day roster. It's pretty much ready to go and there weren't a ton of surprises, outside of the club sending Nelson Velázquez, who was one of the better offensive players in general for the club, down to the minors. Left field was a question mark throughout camp and it's hard to argue against the fact that no one made a case for themselves more than Velázquez.

He slashed .357/.449/.667 with four homers, 10 RBIs, seven walks and eight runs scored in 15 games played. But the Cardinals sent him down. Instead, the Cardinals are giving Thomas Saggese, José Fermín and Nathan Church the first crack at the position in 2026. With Saggese and Fermín, they can both play all over the place, including the infield. With Church, he's an outfielder through and through.

The Cardinaks made a tough decision

Sep 7, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA;St. Louis Cardinals second base Jose Fermin (15) at bat against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

One thing that is true every year is that a lot is made about the Opening Day roster. Plenty is said about who makes the club. More is typically said about those who miss the roster. But it's important to note that it's a moving target. The roster right now isn't going to be the same exact roster in June or August. By the time September rolls around, it could be completely transformed. It's going to shift due to play on the field, injuries, additions or subtractions. That's just the nature of the roster. With that being said, of the group who made the club out of camp to help in left field, Fermín arguably is at the most risk of losing his roster spot.

Fermín played at least 21 games with St. Louis over the last three seasons and is a career .220 hitter with one homer. He doesn't have a big sample size in the majors and has split his time between the big leagues and the minors. Saggese is 23 years old and looks like more of a long-term piece for the club. Church is 25 years old and showed some significant offensive potential down in the minors. If any of the three are going to lose their spot at some point, it seems like Fermín would be the most likely, in part because Saggese can play all over the diamond just like he can.

If Velázquez can thrive in Triple-A, he will get a shot at some point. Plus, Lars Nootbaar is going to come back at some point. All in all, the current roster won't be the final roster in September. Changes will be made and Fermín is most at risk of the three left field candidates right now.