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Coming off a year during which he missed time on the injury list for the first time in his career, Cardinals prospect Sem Robberse has used this offseason to go down a “checklist� ahead of the 2025 season.

On that checklist, the 23-year-old right-hander has looked to add extra weight to tap into more strength. He’s prioritized a consistent training routine in hopes of avoiding injury for a second consecutive year. He’s continued to try to “figure out strategies� after spending all of 2024 in Class AAA.

“Trying to figure out how I did things last year. What worked? What didn’t work?� Robberse said during the first day of the Cardinals’ annual Winter Warm-Up event last month at Busch Stadium.

In his first full season in the Cardinals system after being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2023 trade deadline — and his first year with a 40-man roster spot — Robberse went 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA in 90⅓ innings across 19 games — 17 of which were starts. He totaled 80 strikeouts a year after eclipsing 130 strikeouts in 124 innings between the Blue Jays’ Class AA affiliate and with Class AAA Memphis after being traded.

Robberse began the 2024 season by going 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 29⅔ innings across five starts in April. The start was followed by a May during which Robberse held an ERA of 4.91 in six games (five starts). He landed on the injured list with an elbow strain midway through June and did not return to Memphis’ rotation until September. He totaled 12⅔ innings in three starts before the minor league season ended.

“I was able to finish the season healthy, which I was very happy about (after) being able to take more rest than I probably needed in order to let everything recover the way it’s supposed to and be able to get back in order to improve in the offseason again,� Robberse said.

When looking back at how the 2024 season transpired, Robberse points to how his pitch usage in April influenced his May and June as a learning experience.

In Memphis’ starting rotation, Robberse said he wanted to “go with my strengths� to begin the season but “wasn’t very sure what that exactly was,� so he trusted his “gut� in how he attacked hitters.

That approach resulted in Robberse using his cutter at a rate of nearly 30.6% through April, per Statcast. The righty’s slider became his second-most-used pitch, at a 27% rate, while his four-seam fastball and change-up were used at 22.9% and 19.5%, respectively.

The success that came with his pitch usage rates in April gave Robberse the notion that using all four of his pitches at similar rates could continue his success. Through May and June, the righty threw his slider 28.7% of the time, while his four-seam fastball usage was at 27.3%, his cutter at 26.1% and his change-up at 17.9% over the eight outings he made.

During that time, Robberse posted a 6.64 ERA and allowed 12 home runs in 42 innings. Opponents hit .253 with a .506 slugging percentage in that stretch after keeping them to a .202 batting average and a .289 slugging percentage in April.

“I think I started to rely on it a little too much to where I wanted to show every hitter all my pitches,� Robberse said.

Robberse’s more balanced repertoire represented a shift in how he approached Class AAA hitters following his promotion to the level in 2023. At that time, his fastball was his primary pitch, with a 43.5% usage rate, and his slider (29.8%) was second, per Statcast.

The two months on the injured list with the elbow strain allowed Robberse an opportunity to reevaluate his pitch mix ahead of his September return to Memphis’ rotation.

Through the final three starts he made in 2024, Robberse used his four-seam fastball for just over 42% of the time, followed by his cutter (25%), slider (20%) and change-up (13%), per Statcast.

“There are certain hitters where I don’t need to use my four pitches,� said Robberse, who allowed seven runs (six earned) in his three September starts. “There are certain hitters where I do. Being able to eliminate and adjust there, that’s what helped me at the end of the season.�

Having had a healthy offseason, Robberse comes into 2025 as one of the Cardinals’ starting pitching options with Class AAA experience. Robberse, who turned 23 in October, recalled feelings of excitement seeing his teammates, like Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo and Adam Kloffenstein — the latter of whom was released this offseason — reach the majors last season.

The Cardinals’ shift to an organizational “reset� that may provide more big league opportunities for younger players gives Robberse an additional outlook on taking the next step in his goal to reach the majors.

“Definitely when the opportunity presents itself, that’s something I want to take,� Robberse said. “If it seems like they’re going to take more young guys up there, then that opportunity becomes bigger. That’s something that I want to want to go for. It’s not something that motivates me more in order to work harder, but it’s something that definitely puts perspective on things.�