The St. Louis Cardinals have been granted a fourth option on left-hander Zack Thompson.
When a player is added to the 40-man roster, they can be assigned to the Minor Leagues in three seasons. If a player who is on the 40-man spends at least 20 days in the minors during a season, that subtracts one of those years.
A player is eligible for a fourth option if they exhaust their three option years before they\'ve played five professional seasons. Major League Baseball defines a professional season as one in which a player spent at least 90 days on an MLB or minor league active roster.
Thompson was the Cardinals\' first-round pick in 2019. The club assigned him to their rookie ball affiliate that year. That league didn\'t have a 90-day schedule, so that did not count as a professional season. The following minor league season was canceled by the pandemic.
As a result, Thompson didn\'t accrue a full professional season until 2021. The Cardinals put him on the 40-man roster the following year. Thompson was optioned in each of the last three years but falls shy of five professional seasons.