MLB Rumors: 3 Cardinals who have already won a roster spot for 2024 thanks to their September
By Curt Bishop
Cardinals who already won a 2024 roster spot: 2. Zack Thompson
Thompson began the year in the bullpen and was sent down to the minor leagues in late April. St. Louis sent him down so that he could be stretched out as a starter.
The 25-year-old's numbers in Triple-A were not good. He appeared in 11 games and started nine of them. Over 34.1 innings of work, the young left-hander allowed 33 earned runs, which adds up to an abysmal 8.65 ERA.
When Steven Matz went down for the season, St. Louis was forced to move Thompson into their rotation. His past few starts haven't been great, as he has allowed four runs over five innings in two of them. However, he has shown a ton of promise this season.
His best performance came on Sept. 3 when he allowed three runs over seven innings against the Pirates on 92 pitches. The young lefty also recorded six strikeouts in that game.
More than likely, Thompson won't compete for a spot in the rotation next year, as President of Baseball Operations has repeatedly stated that the Cardinals are going to need to add three starting pitchers from outside the organization. That would likely squeeze Thompson out of a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
However, his emergence this year has more than likely earned him a spot on the Opening Day roster as a long relief option. He's also somebody who could be plugged into the rotation if a pitcher struggles or is injured at any point in the season.