St. Louis made eight minor league moves on Tuesday, to be exact.
Cardinals release longtime pitcher amid flurry of minor league moves originally appeared on The Sporting News
The St. Louis Cardinals organization was busy this week, announcing eight minor league moves on social media Tuesday.
That included the release of right-handed pitcher Leonardo Taveras, who signed with the Cardinals in 2016. He held a 6.02 ERA over 28 games (four starts) across Double-A and Triple-A this season.
Additionally, pitcher Chen-Wei Lin was transferred from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield. He’s the Cardinals' No. 16 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
RHP Chen-Wei Lin has been transferred from Peoria (A+) to Springfield (AA).
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) August 26, 2025
RHP Brandt Thompson (AA) will begin a rehab assignment with Peoria.
RHP Tanner Franklin & C Sammy Hernandez have been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Peoria.
1B/C Josh Kross (A+) has been placed on…
St. Louis is making moves
Taveras spent eight seasons in the Cardinals’ farm system, beginning with Rookie Ball in 2017. He finally made his Triple-A debut this season but posted a 6.65 ERA over 13 games (three starts).
Over the course of his minor league career, Taveras went 19-17 with a 5.20 ERA in 220 games (310.0 IP).
Lin was signed to a minor league contract in July of 2023. He’s steadily progressed up St. Louis’ organization since then, and before his promotion to Double-A, Lin was 0-2 with a 4.89 ERA over 12 starts in High-A this year.
While Lin’s numbers are rough, he already has major league velocity. As his scouting report notes on MLB Pipeline, he was the only player on Single-A Palm Beach in 2024 to exceed 100 mph—and he did that 12 times, even touching 101.
His numbers with Palm Beach were stellar too, as he boasted a 10-5 record with a 2.79 ERA over 22 starts. Lin wasn’t able to find the same success in High-A.
Also of note, pitcher Tanner Franklin was transferred from Single-A Palm Beach to High-A Peoria. He’s the Cardinals' No. 19 prospect.
Category: Baseball
