Svanson earns spot as Cards add 4 players to 40-man roster

Despite being initially overshadowed by other high-profile Minor League players acquired by the Cardinals at the Trade Deadline in 2023, right-handed closer Matt Svanson has made such a favorable impression with his growth over the past two seasons that he earned a spot on the club’s 40-man roster on Tuesday.

Svanson, who was perfect in 27 save opportunities in 2024 with Double-A Springfield, was added to the roster along with right-handed starting pitchers Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby and Triple-A outfielder Matt Koperniak. The moves were made ahead of MLB’s Tuesday deadline to prevent those players from being potentially poached in next month’s Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings.

Left-handed pitcher Drew Rom cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Memphis, remaining in the organization as a Minor League player. Those moves left the Cardinals' 40-man roster at 39 players.

It was expected the Cardinals would add Hence and Roby -- ranked respectively by MLB Pipeline as the No. 2 and No. 6 prospects in their system. Like Svanson, Roby was acquired along with standout infielder Thomas Saggese at the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline in a deal that centered around left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery. Svanson, a 13th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays, was acquired from Toronto in a trade for shortstop Paul DeJong on Aug. 1, 2023.

This year’s Rule 5 Draft will be held on Dec. 11 during the MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas. Among the players the Cardinals plucked in last year’s Rule 5 Draft was Ryan Fernandez, who compiled two saves and a 3.51 ERA in 62 appearances at the MLB level this past season.

Hence, the No. 61-ranked player in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, was seemingly set for big things in 2024 before a chest/shoulder injury repeatedly interrupted his season. The 6-foot-1 Hence, 22, bulked up to 195 pounds in hopes of becoming stronger for the long season, but he had to battle injuries again.

Despite the injuries that resulted in three stoppages, Hence still used his dynamic fastball to rack up 109 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings of work. He flashed a much-improved changeup to go with his plus curveball and slider to compile a 2.71 ERA while holding foes to a .204 batting average.

Roby, 23, similarly battled injuries all season. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound right-hander made three starts at Single-A Palm Beach before being promoted to Double-A Springfield, where he was hit hard in seven starts before missing most of the season with a right shoulder issue. In 33 1/3 innings of work, Roby allowed 43 hits and 10 home runs while striking out 33.

Svanson, a product of Lehigh University who isn’t ranked by MLB Pipeline among the Cardinals' Top 30 prospects, used a strong finish in 2023 (2-0, 3.00 ERA, five saves) to propel him to a solid 2024 season. Anointed as the closer for Double-A Springfield for the first time, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Svanson compiled a 4-3 record with a 2.69 ERA to go along with his 27 saves over 53 games. He did recently run into some trouble in the Arizona Fall League when he surrendered 11 hits and three homers in nine appearances.

Koperniak, a native of the United Kingdom, gives the Cardinals some protection in the outfield should they encounter injuries or struggles in the season ahead. The 26-year-old left fielder impressively slashed .309/.370/.512/.882 with 20 homers, 28 doubles and 73 RBIs in 122 games with Memphis in 2024.

Koperniak, 26, is playing for Leones del Escogido, the Dominican Winter League team being managed by Cardinals great Albert Pujols. He is hitting .209 in 43 at-bats.