A former New York Yankees top prospect is changing hats once more.
The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that they have claimed outfielder Everson Pereira off waivers.
Welcome to St. Louis, Everson!” the Cardinals wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The oft-traveled Pereira was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox a day earlier following the acquisition of catcher Joey Bart. Pereira, 25, is out of options and will need to join the active roster when he arrives in St. Louis.
Pereira Was a Top Yankees Prospect
The Yankees originally signed Pereira for $1.5 million out of Venezuela in 2017. As a minor leaguer, Pereira quickly climbed the ranks and became one of baseballâs top prospects. By 2023, MLB Pipeline ranked Pereira No. 6 in the Yankeesâ system, alongside future big leaguers Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, Austin Wells and Spencer Jones.
That same season, Pereira batted .300 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI in 81 games between Double-A and Triple-A before making his MLB debut. Pereira struggled after a brief call-up, posting a .427 OPS in 93 at-bats.
GettyEverson Pereira struggled during his brief time with the Yankees.
While the Yankees envisioned Pereira being a fixture in their outfield for years to come, his swing-and-miss concerns never really subsided. Pereira, 25, has struck out in 37.1% of his 264 plate appearances in the majors, resulting in a career slash line of .172/.246/.536.
Injuries have also been a factor. Pereira was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025 after missing the previous season following elbow surgery.
Cardinals’ Outfield is Unproven
In November, Pereira was shipped to Chicago in a four-player deal for pitchers Yoendrys Gomez and Steven Wilson. Between three separate IL stints, Pereira wound up playing only 27 games for the White Sox. In 80 at-bats, he produced four homers with 11 RBI and a .722 OPS.
He also appeared in 12 games for Triple-A Charlotte, slashing .233/.327/.562 with four homers and eight RBI.
The Cardinals (57-58) are just 3.5 games out of the NL wild card, but Pereira may have ample time for development. Lars Nootbaar was traded at the deadline to the Arizona Diamondbacks, leaving behind a mostly unproven group of outfielders. Bryan Torres, Nathan Church, and Jose Fermin started in Wednesdayâs 3-1 win over the Yankees.
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