Cardinals waste no time with Everson Pereira for Saturday night at Busch originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Everson Pereira will not have to wait long for his first opportunity with the St. Louis Cardinals. Just two days after claiming Pereira off waivers from the Chicago White Sox, the Cardinals activated the 25-year-old outfielder and immediately placed him in their starting lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium.
Pereira will start in left field and bat ninth as St. Louis attempts to climb above .500 and secure a third consecutive victory. The Cardinals announced the lineup on social media before the scheduled 7:15 p.m. ET first pitch.
Everson Pereira makes immediate Cardinals debut
Here is the complete St. Louis lineup against Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland:
- JJ Wetherholt, 2B
Jordan Walker, RF
Iván Herrera, C
Alec Burleson, 1B
José Fermín, DH
Masyn Winn, SS
Blaze Jordan, 3B
Nathan Church, CF
Everson Pereira, LF
Matthew Liberatore will start on the mound for the Cardinals.
Saturday night baseball at Busch pic.twitter.com/Ffs9cc20uc
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 8, 2026
Pereira arrives in St. Louis after a brief but productive stretch with the White Sox. He hit .225 with four home runs, five doubles and 11 RBIs across 27 games this season, producing a .722 OPS in 80 at-bats. His final appearance for Chicago offered a glimpse of the power the Cardinals hope he can provide. Pereira went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs in a 9-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 2.
Despite that performance, Chicago designated him for assignment the following day. St. Louis claimed him Thursday and activated him in time for the second game of its weekend series against Colorado. Pereira has previously played for the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and White Sox. Once considered one of the more promising power hitters in the Yankees’ farm system, he has yet to establish himself as an everyday major league player.
The Cardinals are now giving him another opportunity to do exactly that.
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Cardinals looking to keep momentum alive
St. Louis entered Saturday at 58-58 after earning a 3-2 win over Colorado in the series opener. Iván Herrera hit his 13th home run of the season Friday, while Kyle Leahy struck out eight batters over five innings. The Cardinals’ bullpen then delivered four scoreless frames, with Riley O’Brien recording his 28th save.
The victory was St. Louis’ fourth in five games and moved the club back to .500. Although the Cardinals remain well behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, a strong August could keep them in the crowded NL wild-card conversation. Pereira’s addition represents another attempt to find production from the bottom of the order. Batting ninth should limit the immediate pressure, but his right-handed power could become particularly valuable against left-handed pitching.
Pereira hit two of his four home runs at home for Chicago and recorded two hits, including a homer, in his final five at-bats before changing organizations.
Now he gets a fresh uniform, a fresh opportunity and a Saturday night debut at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals did not acquire Pereira to let him watch from the dugout. They are throwing him directly into the lineup and giving him an immediate chance to prove that Chicago made a mistake by letting him go.
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