St. Louis Cardinals Infielder José Fermín Earns Opening Day Roster Spot, Per Report

José Fermín hasn't strung together much production at the MLB level to this point in his career, but the St. Louis Cardinals seemingly liked what they saw from him in spring training.

Dunedin, Florida, USA;St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jose Fermin (15) prepares for batting practice before a spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Infielder José Fermín will open the regular season on the St. Louis Cardinals' active 26-man roster, The Athletic's Katie Woo reported Friday morning.

Fermín got some run in the big leagues in both 2023 and 2024. Over the course of his 66 career MLB appearances, though, the soon-to-be 26-year-old is a .189 hitter with a .504 OPS and a -0.5 WAR, notching one defensive run saved between second and third base.

So far this spring, Fermín is batting .282 with an .843 OPS. That production seems to have given the Cardinals enough faith in Fermín that he has been positioned as a backup utility man to start 2025, providing insurance behind second baseman Brendan Donovan, third baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Masyn Winn.

If St. Louis' bench winds up including first baseman Luken Baker and second baseman Nolan Gorman, Fermín could also get some run as a fourth outfielder.

According to Woo, the Cardinals aim to finalize their Opening Day roster before spring training comes to a close on Sunday.

José Fermín has made the #STLCards Opening Day roster, per sources. He’ll serve as the back-up utility role/a contact bat off the bench.

The Cardinals hope to finalize their 26-man roster before they break camp on Sunday.

— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) March 21, 2025

The Cardinals are set to take on the Minnesota Twins on March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.

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