ST. LOUIS–One day after a minor league pitcher originally from Charleston, Missouri tweeted that he’d been signed to a contract by the Cardinals, the team confirmed it Thursday.
“They are the team I grew up dreaming to play for,” James Naile wrote on Twitter Wednesday. The team also signed shortstop Anderson Tejada, who broke into the majors with Texas in 2020 and also saw action in five games this past season.
Both players will be invited to Spring Training as non-roster candidates.
The team also announced that it had outrighted minor league pitcher Lijay Newsome off the club’s 40 man roster, which now stands at 33 players. Clubs have a Friday deadline to set their 40-man rosters ahead of December’s Rule 5 draft.
According to MLB, “Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.” Players selected in the Rule 5 process have to remain on that team’s active roster during the season or be offered back to the player’s original team.