Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Staying on starter's schedule
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Hjerpe will remain on a starter's schedule for the Cardinals down the stretch and is currently penciled in to serve in a piggyback role with Kyle Leahy, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Hjerpe made his major-league debut last week in Colorado, striking out six over four perfect innings out of the bullpen behind Leahy. The lefty remains on the active roster but will not be available out of the bullpen in between his scripted appearances. A good close to the 2026 season could enhance Hjerpe's chances of breaking camp next year as a member of the Cardinals' rotation.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Stellar out of bullpen in debut
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Hjerpe (1-0) struck out six over four perfect innings of relief to earn the win over the Rockies on Sunday.
Hjerpe entered the contest in the fourth inning and set down 12 straight Rockies on a total of 54 pitches (41 strikes). Big-league debuts don't get much better than that. Across four levels of the minors this season, Hjerpe posted a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 61:32 K:BB over 42 innings as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is poised to serve as a piggyback option as the Cardinals cut Kyle Leahy's innings back down the stretch. The duo could work as a tandem for likely three more turns through the rotation, with the next one tentatively projected to be at home versus the White Sox next weekend.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Promoted Sunday
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The Cardinals recalled Hjerpe from Triple-A Memphis, and he's expected to pitch behind starter Kyle Leahy in Sunday's game against the Rockies at Coors Field, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
After getting bumped up from Double-A Springfield in early August, Hjerpe posted a 0.95 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 27:17 K:BB across 19 innings in his first five starts for Memphis. He will now get his first call to the big leagues and will be asked to provide length behind Leahy, whose workload is being managed down the stretch. Leahy has failed to last five frames in each of his past two starts but has given up two runs or fewer in each of his past 12 outings, so Hjerpe could have a decent chance at a win if Leahy has another short but effective start Sunday. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals plan to keep Hjerpe on a starter's workload moving forward, so he could piggyback Leahy in future turns through the rotation.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Returns from 60-day IL
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Double-A Springfield activated Hjerpe (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Hjerpe had Tommy John surgery last April and has completed a rehab assignment, allowing four runs with a 9:3 K:BB over 8.2 innings covering five starts between Single-A Palm Beach and the rookie-level Florida Complex League. The left-hander struck out four over three scoreless frames in the FCL his last time out and will continue to get stretched out in the Springfield rotation. Hjerpe is on the Cardinals' 40-man roster and should move up to Triple-A Memphis before long if he's pitching well. A major-league debut during the second half is possible.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Kicking off rehab assignment
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Hjerpe (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment at the Cardinals' Florida Complex League affiliate Friday.
It will be Hjerpe's first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery last April. The left-hander will knock off some rust in the FCL before eventually moving up either to Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis. Hjerpe is on the Cardinals' 40-man roster and could push to debut at some point in the second half. The 2022 first-round pick collected a 3.27 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB in 52.1 innings at Springfield in 2024.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Cut from big-league camp
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The Cardinals optioned Hjerpe (elbow) to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Hjerpe just recent resumed throwing from the mound following last April's Tommy John surgery. A former first-round pick, Hjerpe is aiming to make his season debut around midseason.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Throws bullpen session
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Hjerpe (elbow) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
It's the first time he's thrown from the mound since last April's Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is aiming to make his season debut around mid-July. The left-hander collected a 3.27 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 76:28 K:BB in 52.1 innings at Double-A Springfield in 2024.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Aiming for mound work next week
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Hjerpe (elbow) is aiming to throw a bullpen session next week, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Hjerpe played catch off the mound Monday, but a bullpen session next week would be his first since last April's Tommy John surgery. The left-hander was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster over the offseason and is on track to return to game action around midseason. Hjerpe has collected a 3.38 ERA and 127:53 K:BB over 93.1 innings since St. Louis took him in the first round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Joins 40-man roster
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The Cardinals selected Hjerpe's (elbow) contract from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Hjerpe is expected to miss the first portion of the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, but the Cardinals will grant him a 40-man spot anyway to ensure he doesn't get selected by another club during the Rule 5 Draft. The 24-year-old lefty owns a 3.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across his minor-league career and will presumably return to Double-A once he's deemed fully healthy.
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Cardinals' Cooper Hjerpe: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
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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
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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
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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: Enjoying first big-league camp
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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
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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.
