The Cardinals will gain some additional roster flexibility. Jeff Jones of the Belleville Press-Democrat reported yesterday (X) that St. Louis landed a fourth option for the lefty Zach Thompson.
After a player joins the 40-man roster, he can usually be assigned to the minors after three seasons. If a 40-man player spends at least 20 days in the minors during a season, one of those years will be subtracted. In some cases, a team can select a player for a fourth season.
If a player exhausts three options before playing five professional seasons, he becomes eligible for a fourth option. MLB defines a professional season as a season in which a player spends at least 90 days on an MLB or minor league active roster. Many players spend a few years in the minor league affiliates before joining the 40-man roster. Since these seasons count as pro seasons but are not option years, most players will play five seasons before running out of options.
Thompson was a 2019 first-round pick out of St. Louis. The league does not have a 90-day schedule, so it does not count as a professional season. The following minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic. As a result, the southpaw didn’t complete a full pro season until 2021. Thompson has been drafted in each of the last three years with less than five pro seasons.
Thompson, 27, has yet to find much success in MLB. He had a 4.50 ERA in 52 games. After posting a 2.08 ERA as a rookie, he allowed 4.48 runs per nine in ’23. Thompson made just five MLB appearances last season. He scored 18 runs in 17 innings.
That would make it difficult for the Cards to justify bringing him into the Opening Day bullpen. If there is no other choice, Thompson will most likely be waived. Instead, the Cardinals could send him back to Triple-A Memphis for another year. He has started 20 of 21 games this year, posting a 4.90 ERA and a strikeout rate of 27.4% in 90 innings.
