Cardinals' Moises Gomez: Joining 40-man roster

The Cardinals will add Gomez to their 40-man roster this offseason, Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com reports.

Signed to a minor-league deal last winter after washing out with the Rays, Gomez showed a lot of promise in the minors during his first year in the St. Louis organization. Over his 501 plate appearances between Triple-A Memphis and Double-A Springfield, Gomez slashed .294/.371/.624 with a franchise minor-league record 39 home runs. That immense power production put the 24-year-old back on the prospect radar, and it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals are choosing to protect him from December's Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster. Gomez is still likely to open the 2023 season at Triple-A, barring a big spring training in which he hits his way on to the Cardinals' Opening Day roster.