Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
Rotowire
Double-A Springfield transferred Hjerpe (elbow) from the 7-day injured list to the full season injured list Tuesday.
Hjerpe recently underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery, which is certainly notable after the 24-year-old dealt with elbow issues last season and didn't pitch after July 2. He was given a clean bill of health over the offseason, but he'd yet to pitch in the minors early on this season. Hjerpe will miss another full season and has been limited to just 93.1 innings since being selected in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Out with undisclosed injury
Rotowire
Double-A Springfield placed Hjerpe on the injured list with an undisclosed injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
He's missed a lot of time with elbow injuries since being selected in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. Hjerpe's inability to handle a starter's workload thus far points to a future in relief. He had a 3.27 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB in 52.1 innings (15 starts) at Double-A last year.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Clean bill of health this spring
Rotowire
Hjerpe (elbow) allowed one run over an inning of work in his Grapefruit League debut Tuesday versus the Blue Jays.
Hjerpe didn't pitch after July 2 last season due to left elbow inflammation, but he had a normal offseason and entered Cardinals camp with a clean bill of health, per Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The lefty has had elbow issues in each of his two pro seasons and changed his diet this offseason with the goal of reducing inflammation and soreness in his body. Hjerpe had a 13 percent walk rate but also a 35.2 percent strikeout rate in his 52.1 innings between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2024. He'll rejoin the Springfield rotation for the start of the 2025 campaign as he hopes to stay healthy and cut down on the free passes.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Shut down two more weeks
Rotowire
Hjerpe will remain shut down for two more weeks while dealing with a left elbow injury, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hjerpe hasn't pitched since July 2 and with two more weeks of down time, it would be a surprise if he's ready for game action before September. He had surgery last August to remove a loose body from his elbow, but the exact nature of the injury isn't clear this time around. Hjerpe has posted a 3.27 ERA and 76:28 K:BB over 52.1 innings covering 15 starts between the High- and Double-A levels in 2024.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Enjoying first big-league camp
Rotowire
Hjerpe may not see much action against opposing teams' starting lineups during Grapefruit League play, Brenden Schaeffer of First Alert 4 reports.
He struck out four and walked two over two scoreless innings in his first appearance of the spring, but Hjerpe is not high in the pecking order of young pitchers fighting for a big-league job or an early season promotion to the majors. The 6-foot-3 southpaw put up very impressive numbers in college thanks to a unique arm angle that allows all his pitches to play up. Hjerpe got off to a slow start in his pro debut, but he had a 1.54 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 23.1 innings over his final four starts before needing a cleanup procedure on his elbow. He made it back for the Arizona Fall League and worked as a reliever there, striking out 15 while walking six in 8.1 innings over seven appearances. Including the AFL, Hjerpe was able to log just 49.1 innings in 2023 after throwing 103.1 frames for Oregon State in 2022. Staying healthy and handling a starter's workload will be paramount this year, and if he does that, he could be an option in the big-league rotation in late 2024 or in 2025.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Too many walks at High-A
Rotowire
Hjerpe has a 7.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB through his first three professional starts with High-A Peoria.
The Cardinals' first-round pick in last year's draft, Hjerpe has missed plenty of bats in the early going, but his 15.5 percent walk rate is the primary reason he has struggled. Hjerpe, who was born in California, is also pitching in the Midwest League, which can have a challenging climate in April.
