Here's the Cardinals' player pool for their Spring Breakout game

JUPITER, Fla. -- Chaim Bloom, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, has fortified the organization with prospects and most of them will be playing in the Spring Breakout Game against the Nationals on March 19.

Keep in mind that St. Louis’ Major League team is getting younger, so don’t be surprised if you see some of those young studs make an impact at Busch Stadium this year.

What is Spring Breakout?

In 2026, MLB Spring Breakout will again be a four-day event showcasing baseball’s future -- the current stars of Minor League Baseball – in 16 exhibition games played between teams composed of each MLB organization’s top prospects. The third edition will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.

In 2027, Spring Breakout will be expanded into a single-elimination tournament format, with champions being crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.

When is the Cardinals’ game?

Following the big league game, which starts 12:05 p.m. CT, the young bucks from the Cardinals will face the Nationals’ prospects at 3:30 p.m. CT at Roger Dean Stadium.

How can I tune in?

MLB.TV, MLB.com, MLB App, Gameday

Notable position players

Once the Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan to the Mariners this offseason, it left an opening for JJ Wetherholt, the top-ranked player in the Cardinals’ system, to become the Opening Day second baseman. So far, Wetherholt is showing that he has a good eye at the plate, walking six times in 16 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action. This will mark Wetherholt’s second appearance in the Spring Breakout game. He went hitless in two at-bats against the Marlins last year.

Infielder Blaze Jordan, the No. 27 prospect in the organization, was acquired from the Red Sox in the Steven Matz trade last summer. He can play both corner infield spots, but he must show he can be consistent in the batter’s box. After joining the organization, Jordan struggled and had a slash line of .198/.242/.366 for Triple-A Memphis. The Cardinals are hoping that Jordan can develop power and start driving in runs.

Notable pitchers

Acquired as part of the Donavan trade, switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, the Cardinals’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, is in his second professional season. He pitched mostly right-handed this spring and Nationals opponents will likely see him that way on March 19. Cijntje is still having bullpen sessions as a left-hander.

Left-hander Quinn Mathews, the club’s No. 7 prospect, shined in last year's game against the Marlins, pitching three shutout innings. But success didn’t carry over into the regular season. He had problems with control, walking 74 batters in 94 innings for Memphis.

Roster details

To accommodate the player movement involved with the World Baseball Classic and to create greater flexibility for clubs and farm directors, Spring Breakout rosters are being constructed in two phases in 2026. Clubs initially submit a preliminary 40-man player pool on Thursday, March 5, which will then be pared down to the official 23-27 man rosters on March 18.

The preliminary 40-man player pools consist of the team’s Top 30 prospects, as determined by MLB Pipeline, minus any injured players, players on a Dominican Summer League roster or players on the 40-man roster who have elected not to participate. The pools also include 10 or more additional unranked prospects submitted by the club to replace the above ranked prospects who are not participating.

Preliminary 40-man player pool (Cardinals Top 30 Prospects list):

PITCHERS (20)
Blake Aita, RHP, NR
Tyler Bradt, RHP, NR
Mason Burns, RHP, NR
Brandon Clarke, LHP, No. 9
Randel Clemente, RHP, NR
Jurrangelo Cijntje (SWP), No. 5/MLB No. 91
Cade Crossland, LHP, No. 25
Braden Davis, LHP, No. 28
Liam Doyle, LHP, No. 2/MLB No. 34
Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, No. 13
Tanner Franklin, RHP, No. 11
Jovi Galvez, RHP, NR
Luis Gastelum, RHP, No. 22
Tink Hence, RHP, No. 15
Ixan Henderson, LHP, No. 14
Chen-Wei Lin, RHP, No. 26
Quinn Mathews, LHP, No. 7
Brycen Mautz, LHP, No. 21
Hancel Rincon, RHP, No. 29
Michael Watson, LHP, NR

CATCHERS (3)
Leonardo Bernal, C, No. 6/MLB No. 98
Ryan Campos, C, NR
Rainiel Rodriguez, C, No. 3/MLB No. 37

INFIELDERS (11)
Jesus Baez, INF, No. 20
Jalin Flores, INF, NR
Jon Jon Gazdar, INF, NR
Jack Gurevitch, 1B, No. 30
Blaze Jordan, 1B/3B, No. 27
Josh Kross, 1B/C, NR
Cade McGee, INF, NR
Noah Mendlinger, UTIL, NR
Deniel Ortiz, 3B/1B, No. 24
Yairo Padilla, SS, No. 16
JJ Wetherholt, INF, No. 1/MLB No. 5

OUTFIELDERS (6)
Joshua Baez, OF, No. 4/MLB No. 87
Colton Ledbetter, OF, NR
Zach Levenson, OF, NR
Ryan Mitchell, OF/INF, No. 12
Tai Peete, OF, No. 18
Miguel Ugueto, OF, NR