The Cardinals lost a depth arm on Wednesday night when left-hander Bruce Zimmermann chose free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A.
St. Louis had brought the six-year big league veteran up for one outing on July 7, and Zimmermann handled five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He gave up three earned runs and struck out two before the club designated him for assignment after the game.
Zimmermann cleared waivers and was initially sent outright to Triple-A, but that stay didn’t last long. The team later announced he had elected free agency.
"SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje and INF Brody Moore have been transferred from Springfield (AA) to Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "OF Chase Davis (AA) has been activated from the 7-day IL and transferred to Memphis.
RHP Brandt Thompson has been transferred from Memphis to Springfield. C Rainiel Rodriguez & LHP Liam Doyle (AA) have been reinstated from the Temporarily Inactive List.
"OF Zach Levenson (AA) has been reinstated from the Development List. ... LHP Bruce Zimmermann (AAA) has elected free agency."
The 31-year-old now leaves St. Louis with a modest big league résumé but plenty of mileage in pro ball.
Since reaching the majors in 2020, he has appeared in 40 big league games for the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Cardinals, posting a 5.63 ERA. Most of his work has come in the minors, where he has logged 170 games, 792 innings and a 3.73 ERA.
For the Cardinals, the move trims a veteran starter from the organizational depth chart, but it doesn’t leave them thin for long. Triple-A already has several arms in the mix, including Quinn Mathews, Brycen Mautz and Hunter Dobbins, with Jurrangelo Cijntje now moving up from Double-A as well.
Ixan Henderson is also working back into the picture, and Liam Doyle could be next in line for a move from Double-A to Triple-A before long.
There’s always a market for pitching, and Zimmermann should have a chance to catch on somewhere else soon, likely on a minor league deal. St.
Louis, meanwhile, has spent the offseason building pitching depth by moving veterans out, and it also added right-hander Tegan Kuhns with the No. 32 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Cardinals may have lost a depth piece, but they’re positioned to keep moving forward.
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