The Cardinals made a waiver claim Monday, adding right-hander Chase Hampton from the Nationals and trimming their 40-man roster count to 39.
Hampton had only been with Washington for two weeks. The Nationals claimed him off waivers from the Yankees, then designated him for assignment Saturday when they reinstated southpaw Connelly Early from the 60-day injured list.
For St. Louis, it’s a low-risk shot at a pitcher who was once viewed much differently.
Hampton turned 25 last month and entered the 2023-24 offseason as Baseball America’s No. 72 overall prospect. A 2022 sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech, he’s spent much of the last two years fighting injuries instead of building on that stock.
The setbacks have piled up. Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2025, which wiped out his entire ’25 season and left him limited to just 55 innings this year.
He also missed most of the 2024 campaign because of a flexor strain. His most recent work on the mound was rough: an 8.18 ERA across three levels, including a 9.59 mark at Double-A, where he allowed 38 runs in 35 2/3 innings.
Before the injuries took over, Hampton had a much stronger run in 2023. As a 21-year-old, he logged 106 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA in High-A and Double-A against older, more advanced hitters. The strikeout stuff showed up too, with Hampton fanning 33.1% of his opponents while walking 8.4%.
The Yankees had designated Hampton for assignment earlier this month to make room for Aaron Judge’s return from the injured list. Since then, he’s already been moved twice, which says plenty about where he stands right now and how teams are viewing the remaining upside.
That said, the appeal is obvious enough. Hampton still has two minor league option years left, and clubs in the middle of a reset - like Washington and St.
Louis - have reason to keep taking a look. The Cardinals and Nationals both finished 77-85, tied for 10th-worst in baseball, and waiver priority is based on the reverse order of the previous season’s standings.
Whether Hampton gets another long look in St. Louis is still an open question, but the Cardinals are betting there’s enough there to justify the claim.
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