The St. Louis Cardinals Tuesday picked up the contract of Hoosac Valley alumnus Matt Koperniak and added him to the Major League Baseball team's 40-man roster, according to numerous media outlets.

 

The move came on the eve of MLB's deadline to either sign eligible minor leaguers or leave them eligible to be selected by other organizations in the upcoming "Rule 5 Draft."

 

The Belleville News-Democrat of Belleville, Ill., called Koperniak "arguably Memphis' MVP last season" after he hit 20 home runs with a .309 batting average and .512 slugging percentage for the Triple-A Redbirds.

 

"This fall, Koperniak has been playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic for Leones del Escogito, the team managed by Albert Pujols," Jeff Jones wrote in an article published Tuesday afternoon on the News-Democrat's website. "That exposure and valuable opinion no doubt played some role in the team determining that Koperniak could contribute as a depth offensive player in the majors."

 

Josh Jacobs, on the website "Redbirdrants.com" earlier on Tuesday listed Koperniak as one of, "Three Propsects the Cardinals Need to Protect Before Tonight's Rule 5 Deadline."

 

"The Cardinals have just six outfielders on their 40-man roster right now, and that's including Brendan Donovan, who may find himself playing infield a lot more in 2025," Jacobs wrote. "Adding Koperniak to the roster makes a lot of sense, and while he wouldn't have a clear path to playing time in St. Louis, he'd likely have a shot at some point."