Bernal (No. 4) among 4 Cards prospects added to 40-man roster

In yet another sign that the Cardinals are planning to continue building around the blossoming young talent in their Minor League system, the club added four rising prospects to their 40-man roster on Tuesday and designated veteran reliever Jorge Alcala for assignment.

Catcher Leonardo Bernal (No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline), outfielder Joshua Baez (No. 11) and left-handed pitchers Cooper Hjerpe (No. 13) and Brycen Mautz (No. 21) were added to the Cardinals' roster to protect them from being potentially plucked in the Dec. 10 Rule 5 Draft. Alcala, who was claimed on Aug. 7 after being DFA'd by the Red Sox, was designated for assignment to make room on a roster that was at 37 players coming into Tuesday.

Left-hander Pete Hansen, a third-round Draft pick in 2022 out of Texas, was left unprotected despite posting an impressive 2025 season at Double-A Springfield. Hansen, who usually gets more outs with his changeup, slider and curveball instead of a low-90s fastball, went 8-5 with a 3.93 ERA and an incredible 123-to-37 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He allowed one earned run in five innings of his one playoff start for Springfield.

First baseman/third baseman Blaze Jordan, who was acquired in the Trade Deadline deal that sent lefty reliever Steven Matz to the Red Sox, was also left unprotected and will be available in the Rule 5 Draft. The native of suburban Memphis hit just .198 in 41 games with Triple-A Memphis following the trade.

Players signed by MLB clubs at 18 years or younger must be added to an organization’s 40-man roster within five seasons, and those signed at 19 or older have to be added within four seasons to avoid being left vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft. The deadline to add those players was Tuesday.

Bernal, Baez and Mautz -- driving forces in 2025 on the Springfield team that won the Texas League title -- are among the fastest-rising prospects in the Cardinals' system and were expected to earn roster protection. Hjerpe, a first-round pick in 2022, was protected even though he missed all of the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery in his left elbow.

Bernal, 21, won an MiLB Gold Glove Award after throwing out 27 of 69 attempted basestealers this season for Springfield. The Panama City, Panama native, who has long been friends with countryman and current Cards catcher Iván Herrera, also showed pop by hitting 13 home runs in 107 games.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Baez finally showed some of his enormous potential by mashing 20 home runs and stealing 54 bases in a career-best 117 Minor League games at High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. He went 5-for-19 with a double, two RBIs and two stolen bases in five playoff games.

Mautz endured plenty of struggles in his first two professional seasons -- he went 4-9 with a 3.98 ERA at Single-A Palm Beach in 2023 and 3-13 with a 5.18 ERA at Class A Advanced Peoria in 2024 -- but this past season he showed the potential that made him a 2022 second-round pick out of the University of San Diego. Mautz went 8-3 with a 2.98 ERA over 25 starts with Springfield, striking out 134 to just 33 walks over 114 2/3 innings.

Hjerpe has missed all or parts of three seasons with arm or shoulder injuries since being a 2022 first-round pick following a stellar career at Oregon State University. Hjerpe reached Double-A in 2024 and has posted an impressive 32.8% strikeout rate with his unorthodox delivery from the left side.