Cardinals get horrible news on top-ten pitching prospect

The St. Louis Cardinals are a young team, looking to ascend to contention in the next few seasons. With their top prospect holding a lot of weight, the development of these prospects is huge for the organization.

But, in an article from Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Cardinals were dealt some horrible news on one of their top prospects. Tekoah Roby, one of the top ten Cardinals prospects according to Keith Law of The Athletic, underwent Tommy John surgery.

"St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tekoah Ruby underwent Tommy John surgery and will likely not pitch until 2027, multiple sources told The Athletic on Monday." Woo writes.

It's a brutal update for Roby, who went on the injured list earlier in the month on July 14th. In 2025, Roby was promoted to Triple-A after posting great numbers in Double-A. He had a 2.49 ERA in 10 starts with 87 strikeouts over 78.1 innings. 

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Roby's missing time is, unfortunately, not an unfamiliar scenario for the Cardinals. He's spent time on the injured list since he was acquired from the Texas Rangers, along with Thomas Saggese, in 2023 in a deal for Jordan Montgomery.

In his 2023 and 2024 seasons, Roby logged 58.1 and 38.1 innings, respectively. He also saw 13.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League. But, overall, Roby has been missing significant time over the last few seasons thanks to frequent injuries.

But this most recent one is a long-term injury. He's expected to miss the rest of 2025 and the entirety of the 2026 season. Roby isn't the only pitcher to be out for the year due to Tommy John surgery.

Cooper Hjerpe and Sem Robberse are both out for an extended amount of time after getting Tommy John surgery earlier this season. It's a tough blow for St. Louis and Roby, as the 23-year-old top ten prospect will now miss the next year and a half.

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