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A day after opening several spots on their 40-player roster with decisions meant, in part, to cut costs and clear the way for younger alternatives, the Cardinals plucked a 24-year-old starting pitcher off waivers.

They claimed Roddery Munoz from the Miami Marlins just a few months after he made his major-league debut.

Munoz went 2-7 with a 6.53 ERA in the majors this year. He appeared in 18 games and made 17 starts for the last-place Marlins. He struck out 70 in 82â…” innings but struggled overall by allowing 42 walks and 26 home runs. At Class AAA for the Marlins, Munoz was 4-4 with a 4.96 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 49 innings.

Signed in 2018 by Atlanta as an international amateur out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Munoz has been claimed off waivers twice previously.

Washington plucked him out of Atlanta’s system on a waiver claim, and the right-hander later was taken by Pittsburgh. He was traded almost a year ago to Miami, where he ultimately made his major-league debut for manager Skip Schumaker’s club with an April start against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He struck out seven in five innings and did not receive a decision in a Marlins’ loss.

Munoz has a four-seam fastball and sinker that average around 95 mph, and he plays off that with a cutter and a slider, each of which he throws about 20% of the time.

On Thursday, the first day of Major League Baseball’s offseason, the Cardinals had six players come off their 40-player roster. Paul Goldschmidt, Andrew Kittredge, and Matt Carpenter became free agents, and the Cardinals declined the 2025 options on Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Keynan Middleton to allow them to become free agents.

By the start of next week, teams must activate players on their 60-day injured list.