The Cardinals released Bligh Madris, according to the first baseman/outfielder’s MLB.com profile page. The Cardinal National’s Brian Walton reports that Madris is headed to South Korea to play for a KBO League team.
The 30-year-old Madris signed a minor league contract with St. Louis last winter, and he has hit .277/.389/.519 with 14 home runs over 284 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis. These big numbers didn’t result in a call-up to the majors, however, as Madris’ primary position of first base is naturally already covered by a prominent left-handed bat in Alec Burleson. Most of the Cardinals’ outfielders are also lefty bats and Ivan Herrera is getting most of the DH at-bats, plus the rebuilding Cards team is more committed to giving playing time to younger players than a 30-year-old depth player.
Without any injuries opening up roster space, Madris has instead parlayed his Triple-A success into a KBO contract. He’ll now make a larger guaranteed salary as he heads overseas for the second time in his pro career, following a brief stint in the Australian Baseball League during their 2020-21 season.
Madris has hit .255/.350/.450 over 2085 PA in Triple-A, but he hasn’t approached that level of production during his three big league seasons. He had a respectable .269/.324/.358 slash line in 75 PA with the Tigers in 2024, but his career slash is just .204/.273/.286 over 228 PA for Pittsburgh, Houston, and Detroit from 2022-24. The Tigers re-signed Madris to a new minors contract after outrighting him following the 2024 season, but injuries limited Madris to 60 minor league games in 2025 without any time in the Show.