The St. Louis Cardinals have spent much of the 2026 season evaluating which players could become part of the franchise’s next competitive core. As the club continues its rebuild, younger players have received expanded opportunities to prove they can be long-term contributors.
Several of those players have emerged as pleasant surprises, particularly after the trade deadline brought the departures of several established veterans.
“The surprising thing has been how well the pieces remaining on the roster have performed,” Will Leitch wrote for MLB.com. “These are mostly young players who are using 2026 as a way to prove their long-term fit with the team, like Alec Burleson, Iván Herrera, Riley O’Brien, Michael McGreevy and NL Rookie of the Year front-runner JJ Wetherholt.”
However, the rise of younger talent and the organization’s ongoing effort to identify long-term answers have also created difficult decisions for players unable to cement a permanent role. That ultimately led to the Cardinals moving on from outfielder and power hitter Nelson Velazquez, whose next opportunity has now ended just as quickly.
St Louis Cardinals Outfielder Sees Stint With Team Come To Abrupt End
Velazquez entered the season with an opportunity to earn a lasting role with the rebuilding Cardinals, but the club designated him for assignment earlier this month. After subsequently joining the Houston Astros, he was designated for assignment again and has now elected free agency, according to the official transaction page.
His time in Houston lasted only three games, during which he went hitless in four at-bats.
Velazquez originally signed with the Cardinals on a minor league contract before earning a promotion to the major league roster in late May. He remained with St. Louis for more than two months before the club designated him for assignment after claiming outfielder Everson Pereira.
The Astros then claimed Velazquez off waivers, apparently hoping his right-handed power could give them a useful platoon option. Instead, the experiment ended almost immediately.
Now back on the open market, Velazquez will search for another opportunity to work his way onto a major league roster.
“It’s possible he garners interest as a platoon bat, as that was seemingly why the Astros grabbed him,” Darragh McDonald wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “In 88 plate appearances this year, mostly with the Cardinals, he has a subpar .205/.273/.410 line on the whole. However, the righty-swinging Velázquez has four homers on the year, all against lefties.”
St Louis Cardinals Castoff Still Offers Upside After Latest Cut
The 27-year-old’s success against left-handed pitching could still give him value as a specialized option for a team seeking right-handed power without needing to commit to him as an everyday player.
For the Cardinals, his departure represents another example of the constant roster turnover that often accompanies a rebuilding club trying to determine which players fit into its next competitive window. For Velazquez, his time in St. Louis at least provided a more substantial opportunity to showcase his abilities than his brief stint with Houston as he searches for his next home in free agency.