Cooper Hjerpe, a first-round draft choice by the Cardinals in 2022, was activated off the 60-day Injured List on Thursday -- two years to the day that he last pitched for Double-A Springfield following an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery. Hjerpe is the No. 16-ranked prospect in the Cards system.
There was some pretty cool symmetry to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals activating left-handed pitcher Cooper Hjerpe off the 60-day Injured List on Thursday.
Two years from the day he last pitched in a Double-A game for Springfield, Hjerpe was activated to try and restart a journey that the Cardinals hope leads the left-handed pitcher to St. Louis and the big leagues.
Hjerpe, 25, was the No. 22 overall pick of the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cardinals, but much of his Minor League career thus far has been marred by elbow injuries. After seeing his 2023 season at High-A Peoria cut short by arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, Hjerpe saw disaster strike in 2024 after working his way up from High-A to Double-A Springfield.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, who was one of college baseball’s most dominant starters while starring at Oregon State in 2022, was pulled from a July 2, 2024 start against Northwest Arkansas with elbow pain. After months of trying to work his way back and avoid reconstructive surgery, Hjerpe was ultimately tabbed for Tommy John surgery the next April – ending his 2025 season before it ever began.
Finally medically cleared to pitch again in games this season, Hjerpe worked his way back to Springfield by working in five rehab assignment games with the FCL Cardinals and Single-A Palm Beach. In those five abbreviated starts, he worked 8 2/3 innings and struck out nine while walking three.
Hjerpe joins a star-studded Springfield rotation
In Springfield, Hjerpe will join a starting rotation that includes Liam Doyle (No. 2 in Cards system), Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 4), Chen-Wei Lin (No. 24), Braden Davis (No. 26) and Brant Thompson (not ranked). Hjerpe, who was the No. 8-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system before his 2024 arm injury, currently sits at No. 16 in MLB Pipeline’s rankings. Hjerpe will replace left-hander Mason Molina (No. 29), who was promoted to Triple-A Memphis after going 3-2 with a 2.87 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 69 innings of work at Springfield.
Those pitchers will be throwing to 19-year-old star catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, the No. 1-ranked player in the Cardinals system and the No. 12 overall prospect in MLB, per MLB Pipeline. Rodriguez is the second-youngest position player in Double-A, and he and Doyle were chosen to play in the MLB Futures Game on July 12 in Philadelphia.
A lanky lefty with a low release point and a herky-jerky delivery, Hjerpe will be looking to regain the form that made him a college star at Oregon State from 2020-22. In three seasons of pitching with the Beavers, he went 15-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 275 strikeouts in 192 1/3 innings pitched.
Hjerpe went 2-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) with High-A Peoria in 2023 before needing season-ending elbow surgery. He split 2024 between Peoria and Double-A Springfield, going a combined 2-4 with a 3.27 ERA and an impressive 76 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings pitched.
Before reinjuring his elbow in 2024 and not pitching again that season, Hjerpe was 2-1 with a 3.07 ERA with Springfield. Over 14 2/3 innings of work that season, he struck out 20 and walked eight. He held Double-A hitters to a paltry .122 batting average.
Join the conversation
Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
