The St. Louis Cardinals have made another intriguing roster move as they begin looking beyond the 2026 season, claiming right-handed pitcher Chase Hampton off waivers from the Washington Nationals.
The Cardinals announced the move on Monday, September 28, confirming that Hampton had been added after Washington designated him for assignment. The claim gives St. Louis an opportunity to take a closer look at a pitcher who was once regarded as one of the better pitching prospects in the New York Yankees organization. St. Louis’ 40-man roster now stands at 39 players following the move.
Cardinals Take a Chance on Former Top Prospect
Hampton’s arrival is notable because his current numbers do not tell the entire story of his prospect status. The 25-year-old was selected by New York in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Texas Tech and quickly emerged as an interesting arm in the Yankees’ farm system.
Baseball America ranked Hampton No. 72 overall among MLB prospects entering the 2023-24 offseason. He had also climbed as high as the top pitching prospect in the Yankees’ system, illustrating just how highly he was viewed before injuries disrupted his development.
Hampton’s development, however, was severely interrupted by elbow problems. He underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2025, costing him the entire 2025 season. That long absence created a significant setback for a pitcher who had previously been moving rapidly through the Yankees’ minor-league system.
He finally returned to competitive pitching in 2026, but the results were difficult. Hampton spent the season in the Yankees’ minor leagues before eventually being removed from the organization’s 40-man roster.
A Difficult 2026 Season
Hampton appeared at three minor-league levels in 2026 and accumulated 55 innings. Across those appearances, he posted an 8.18 ERA, showing just how challenging his first season back from surgery had been.
His struggles were particularly pronounced at Double-A, where he recorded a 9.59 ERA across 35⅔ innings. He surrendered 38 runs at that level, while also issuing 28 walks and allowing 10 home runs over his 35.2 innings there, according to figures cited in the reports surrounding his waiver move.
Yet there was one statistic that may have helped keep teams interested: Hampton still demonstrated the ability to miss bats. He struck out 37 hitters over 35⅔ innings at Double-A, giving him slightly more than a strikeout per inning despite the poor run prevention.
That combination — significant struggles but continued strikeout ability — helps explain why the Cardinals were willing to take a chance on him.
How Hampton Ended Up With St. Louis
The Cardinals’ claim is actually the latest step in a surprisingly quick series of roster changes for Hampton.
The Yankees designated him for assignment on September 7 while making room on their 40-man roster for Aaron Judge. Washington subsequently claimed Hampton off waivers, giving him a fresh opportunity with the Nationals.
That opportunity lasted only a short time.
Washington designated Hampton for assignment on September 26, creating another opening for a team willing to gamble on the former prospect. Two days later, St. Louis stepped in and claimed him.
The sequence means Hampton has moved from the Yankees to the Nationals and then to the Cardinals in less than a month, despite never appearing in a major-league game.
Importantly, Hampton has yet to make his MLB debut. His professional career to this point has been entirely in the minor leagues, where he has compiled a 4.89 ERA over 180⅓ innings across three seasons.
Why the Cardinals Are Interested
For St. Louis, the move appears to be about upside rather than immediate production.
The Cardinals are not acquiring an established major-league starter. Instead, they are adding a pitcher who once had considerable prospect value and hoping their player-development system can help him regain some of the form that made him highly regarded before his elbow injury.
That makes Hampton a relatively intriguing offseason project for the organization.
His 2026 numbers were obviously poor, but the context matters. He was attempting to return from Tommy John surgery after missing an entire season. Pitchers returning from the procedure can require additional time to regain command, velocity, pitch quality and overall consistency.
Hampton’s 2026 season showed exactly that challenge. His strikeout numbers suggest that there is still some ability to overpower hitters, while his walks and home runs point toward the command and execution problems that accompanied his return.
For the Cardinals, the question will be whether those problems are temporary or whether Hampton’s post-surgery struggles represent a more permanent decline.
The Cardinals’ 40-Man Roster Picture
The timing of the move is also important.
St. Louis’ 2026 season is already over, but roster construction does not stop when the regular season ends. The Cardinals now have the opportunity to evaluate players who could potentially contribute in 2027 or become organizational depth.
By claiming Hampton, St. Louis added him to its 40-man roster, which moved to 39 players after the transaction.
That gives the Cardinals control over Hampton’s development heading into the offseason and provides the organization with another young pitching option to evaluate.
The move also fits a broader roster-building strategy in which teams search for players with previous prospect pedigree who may have become available because of injuries or disappointing seasons.
Hampton’s Prospect Reputation Still Matters
Perhaps the biggest reason this move has generated attention among Cardinals followers is Hampton’s former status.
At one point, he was considered one of the more promising pitchers in the Yankees’ system. Reports indicate he had been ranked as high as No. 6 in the organization and was viewed as a top-100 prospect nationally.
That reputation obviously does not guarantee future success. Prospect rankings are snapshots of a player’s expected development, and Hampton’s career changed dramatically after his elbow injury.
Still, St. Louis is acquiring him at a point when his value is extremely low compared with where it once stood.
The Cardinals therefore have little need to expect immediate results. If Hampton can regain his command and recover some of his pre-injury effectiveness, the organization could potentially turn a waiver claim into a useful pitching option.
A Fresh Start for Hampton
The move could also provide Hampton with something he desperately needs: a fresh environment.
He has spent his entire professional career within the Yankees organization, progressing from a 2022 draft pick to a highly regarded prospect before injuries derailed his trajectory.
His first season back from Tommy John surgery did not go according to plan. The Yankees moved on, Washington claimed him and then quickly moved on as well.
Now St. Louis has become the latest organization to take a chance on him.
There is no guarantee that Hampton will reach the majors, and his 2026 statistics make it clear that significant work remains. But his age, previous prospect status and strikeout ability give the Cardinals reasons to see whether something can still be salvaged.
For Hampton, the Cardinals represent another opportunity to restart a career that once appeared to be heading toward the major leagues.
For St. Louis, the move is essentially a bet that the pitcher who once attracted significant attention as a Yankees prospect is still somewhere inside the 25-year-old right-hander.
What This Means for the Cardinals
The most important takeaway is that St. Louis is not acquiring Hampton because of his 2026 results. The Cardinals are acquiring him because of the player he could potentially become.
His 8.18 ERA over 55 minor-league innings is a major concern, while his 9.59 ERA at Double-A shows how difficult his comeback season became. At the same time, his strikeout production and previous prospect pedigree provide enough upside to justify another organization giving him a chance.
The Cardinals can now use the offseason to evaluate his health, arsenal, velocity, command and pitch mix before determining where he fits in the organization.
If he makes progress, Hampton could eventually emerge as rotation depth, a bullpen option or another developmental pitching project. If the struggles continue, St. Louis has not surrendered prospects or major assets to acquire him.
That is what makes the transaction particularly interesting: the Cardinals are betting on Hampton’s upside at a time when his market value has fallen sharply.
The former Yankees prospect now has another chance to rebuild his career, and St. Louis will hope its player-development system can help him turn his once-promising prospect profile into major-league production.
In short: the Cardinals claimed Chase Hampton off waivers from Washington on September 28 after the Nationals designated him for assignment. Hampton, a former Yankees sixth-round pick and top-100 prospect, missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery and struggled badly in his 2026 return. He has never reached the majors, but St. Louis is betting that his age, previous prospect pedigree and strikeout ability make him worth developing.
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