By Rob Rains
One of the first things fans will notice about the changes on the Cardinals in 2026 is how many pitchers will be in the major-league camp for the first time.
As the team goes through its first official workout for pitchers and catchers on Thursday in Jupiter, Fla., there will be 20 newcomers among the group. The total is more than half of the 38 pitchers who will be in the camp as either a 40-man roster or non-roster player.
More than half of the newcomers – 11 – have joined the organization since the end of the 2025 season. Two more were acquired during last season.
Here is a rundown of all of the new pitchers in camp: (NR designates a non-roster player)
Scott Blewett (NR) – Signed as a minor-league free agent, Blewett has 43 games of major-league experience, including 26 games in 2025 combined between stints with the Twins, Orioles and Atlanta. He is a 29-year-old righthanded reliever who was a second-round pick by the Royals out of high school in 2014.
Justin Bruihl – A lefthanded reliever, Bruihl was purchased by the Cardinals from the Guardians in January, a month after Cleveland had purchased his contract from Toronto. Bruihl, 28, spent most of the 2025 season in Triple A but did make 15 appearances for the AL champion Blue Jays and also pitched in one postseason game. Bruihl has also pitched for the Dodgers, Rockies and Pirates.
Jurrangelo Cijntje (NR) – The centerpiece of the trade which sent Brendan Donovan to the Mariners, Cijntje has become famous for his ability to throw with both his right and left hand. The Cardinals, however, are expected to have him pitch almost exclusively righthanded. A native of the Netherlands, the 22-year Cijntje split the 2025 season between high A and Double A, recording 120 strikeouts in 108 innings. Cijntje grew up in Curacao, graduated from high school in Miami and went to Mississippi State before he was drafted by the Mariners in the first round in 2024.
Hunter Dobbins – One of the players the Cardinals received from Boston in the trade for Willson Contreras, the 26-year-old Dobbins is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in July of last season while covering first base, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. The righthander might not be ready to pitch in games during spring training. Dobbins made his major-league debut last year against the Cardinals and appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox.
Richard Fitts – Acquired in the trade that sent Sonny Gray to the Red Sox, the 26-year-old Fitts should be in the competition for a spot at the back end of the rotation following Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy. The righthander started 10 games for Boston last year. Drafted by the Yankees in 2021 out of Auburn, Fitts was traded to the Red Sox before the 2024 season.
Luis Gastelum (NR) – A righthanded reliever, the 24-year-old Gastelum is from Mexico and was signed by the Cardinals as a free agent in 2023. He spent all of last season at Springfield, where he saved 10 games and struck out 92 batters in 62 2/3 innings in helping the team win the Texas League championship. In his three years in the organization he has 191 strikeouts in 140 innings.
Skyler Hales (NR) – One of two pitchers acquired from Texas in the deadline deal that sent Phil Maton to the Rangers, Hales was selected by Texas in the fourth round of the 2023 draft out of Santa Clara. The righthanded reliever, 24, finished 2025 at Memphis, posting a 5-0 record in 16 games despite a 5.40 ERA.
Pete Hanson (NR) – The third of three lefthanded pitchers selected by the Cardinals with their top three picks in the 2022 draft, following Cooper Hjerpe and Brycen Mautz, Hanson was part of Springfield’s rotation in 2025, making 26 starts and finishing with an 8-5 record and a 3.93 ERA. Hanson, 25, has started at least 24 games in each of his three seasons in the farm system, posting a career ERA of 3.65.
Ixen Henderson (NR) – The leader of Springfield’s rotation last season, the lefthanded Henderson led the Texas League with a 2.59 ERA. An eighth-round pick in 2023 out of Fresno State, where he once started against Paul Skenes, Henderson, who turned 24 in January, has a 2.44 career ERA in his three years in the minors while averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
Austin Love (NR) – A third-round selection out of North Carolina, the righthanded Love has been in the Cardinals system since 2021, earning his first invitation to the major-league camp at the age of 27. Love pitched out of the bullpen for Springfield last season, striking out 63 in 56 innings while posting a 2.41 ERA in 41 appearances. That followed his recovery from Tommy John surgery which limited him to two games in 2023 and kept him sidelined for all of 2024.
Brycen Mautz – Added to the 40-man roster after a standout season at Springfield in 2025, Mautz was named the Cardinals’ minor-league pitcher of the year. A 24-year-old lefthander, Mautz went 8-3 with a 2.98 ERA, second in the league to teammate Ixen Henderson. He struck out 134 batters in 114 innings in a bounce-back season after he was just 3-13 for Class A Peoria in 2024.
Dustin May – The Cardinals’ top free agent signing over the winter, May joins the rotation as the team’s highest-paid player on the 2026 roster, $12.5 million, and also at 28 is the oldest of the team’s projected starters. May has started 57 games in the majors with 23 coming last year for the Dodgers and Red Sox after he missed the 2024 season because of injuries.
Gerson Moreno (NR) – A 30-year-old righthanded reliever, Moreno was signed by the Cardinals out of an independent league last July. He finished the season in Memphis. He made 14 appearances for the Redbirds, posting a 1.43 ERA. Moreno, from the Dominican Republic, signed with the Tigers in 2012 and also has pitched in the minors for the Nationals and Athletics.
Matt Pushard – Selected by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft from the Marlins, the righthanded Pushard will be competing for a spot in the bullpen. He will have to stay on the roster the entire season or be offered back to Miami. Pushard, 28, had been with the Marlins since 2022 and spent last season in Triple A, striking out 73 batters in 62 1/3 innings.
Nick Raquet – The only pitcher on this list who has been in the majors with the Cardinals, Raquet relieved in two games last September after he was promoted from Memphis. A 30-year-old lefthander, Raquet had been out of affiliated baseball from 2020 through 2023 before signing with the Cardinals in 2024. He split most of the 2025 season between Springfield and Memphis, recording a combined eight saves while averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
Hancel Rincon (NR) – A 23-year-old righthander, Rincon split the 2025 season between Peoria and Springfield, making a combined 17 starts and striking out 108 batters in 96 1/3 innings. Rincon was signed by the Cardinals as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2019.
George Soriano – It’s been a busy off-season for the righthanded reliever, whom the Cardinals acquired on Tuesday in a deal that sent Andre Granillo to the Nationals. Since the end of last year, the 26-year-old Soriano has been claimed off waivers by the Orioles, Braves and Nationals before his trade to the Cardinals. Soriano has 72 games of experience in the majors, all wih the Marlins, striking out 117 batters in 118 innings.
Ryne Stanek – The Cardinals signed Stanek, a veteran reliever, as a free agent in January. Born in St. Louis, Stanek, 34, grew up in the Kansas City area. The righthander has nine years of major-league experience, spending last season with the Mets. Used primarily as a middle reliever, Stanek does have 14 career saves in the majors, three coming in 2025.
Jared Shuster (NR) – A first-round pick by the Braves in 2020 out of Wake Forest, Shuster signed with the Cardinals as a minor-league free agent. The 27-year-old lefthander pitched in 12 games for the White Sox last season and also spent time in Triple A. Shuster has 62 games of major-league experience, including 17 starts.
Bruce Zimmerman (NR) – The Cardinals signed Zimmerman, 30, as a minor-league free agent after he spent last season pitching for the Brewers’ Triple A affiliate. The lefthanded Zimmerman has more career experience as a starter, spending parts of four seasons with the Orioles, where he started 27 games between 2020 and 2022. Zimmerman was drafted in the fifth round in 2017 by the Braves.
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Photo of Dustin May by The Associated Press
