Leonardo Bernal News: Protected from Rule 5 Draft

The Cardinals selected Bernal's contract from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Bernal spent the entire 2025 campaign at Springfield and slashed .247/.332/.394 with 13 homers, 69 RBI, 58 runs scored and 13 steals across 454 plate appearances. The 21-year-old backstop will be ineligible for the Rule 5 Draft now that he owns a 40-man spot, and he could potentially receive a promotion to Triple-A Memphis to begin 2026.