Nogowski, Woodford make Opening Day roster as Cardinals announce final cuts

John Nogowski‘s stellar spring training earned him a spot on the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Opening Day roster.

Nogowski, a 28-year-old first baseman/outfielder who was released from the Oakland Athletics organization in 2017 and spent time in independent ball before latching on with the Cardinals, hit for a .355 batting average and a 1.048 OPS this spring to make his first Opening Day roster. Right-hander Jake Woodford, who had a stellar 0.79 ERA in 11 1/3 innings of relief this spring, was also a surprise inclusion on the roster after injuries opened up a couple extra spots on the pitching staff.

The team announced following Sunday’s exhibition loss to the Washington Nationals that it has assigned six players to the minor leagues in order to finalize the 26-man Opening Day roster. Pitcher Kodi Whitley and outfielder Lane Thomas were optioned, while catchers Tyler Heineman and Dennis Ortega and infielders Max Moroff and José Rondón were reassigned.

The team also announced that it plans to place pitchers Dakota Hudson (right elbow), Kwang Hyun Kim (back) and Miles Mikolas (right shoulder), and outfielder Harrison Bader (right forearm) on the 10-day injured list.

That means players such as Nogowski, Woodford, infielder Edmundo Sosa and outfielders Austin Dean and Justin Williams who were on the roster bubble will be on the Opening Day roster, which will be officially submitted and announced the morning of Thursday, April 1.