St. Louis Cardinals Outright Mitch Harris, Alberto Rosario, Mike Ohlman

The Cardinals began the process of trimming the 40-man roster on Thursday.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Thursday afternoon that they’ve outrighted three players–righthanded pitcher Mitch Harris and catchers Alberto Rosario and Mike Ohlman–to Triple-A Memphis. While it’s the first time that all three players have been outrighted off the 40-man roster, meaning that they’re technically “forced” to stay within the organization, Rosario and Ohlman have played more than six minor-league seasons and thus are entitled to become minor-league free agents this winter.

Harris is the most notable of the names, perhaps more for his off-field accomplishments than what he did on a big-league mound. Harris is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, and he carried out active duty in the Navy from 2008-13, achieving the rank of Lieutenant while participating in missions in more than 30 countries. After finally getting clearance to join the Cardinals’ system in 2013, Harris made it to the big leagues in 2015 and pitched in 26 games, posting a 3.67 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP in 27 innings.

This spring, he experienced arm discomfort and was sidelined during spring training. After several months of inactivity, Harris chose to undergo a Tommy John-like procedure in late June. Since his elbow ligament was repaired rather than replaced, though, he’s expected to be ready for spring training next year. With that said, Harris turns 31 years old next month, so it’s fair to wonder how much he’s got left in the tank.

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Like Harris, Rosario reached the majors at the age of 29, though he spent much more time in the minors than his pitching counterpart. The catcher bounced around the minor leagues for 10 years, playing in the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cardinals organizations before being called up to serve as the Cardinals’ backup in July of this year.

Rosario was one of many backup catchers the Cardinals turned to this year, but much like Brayan Peña, Carson Kelly, and Eric Fryer, he saw very limited action. Despite spending nearly three months on the major-league roster, he received just 41 plate appearances, hitting .184/.225/.237 with two doubles.

It was quite evident after a start in Cincinnati on September 3 that Rosario was not in the Cardinals’ long-term plans. With Yadier Molina receiving a much-needed day of rest, Rosario got the start, and he came to the plate in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and two outs. He grounded out to second, killing a potential rally in a game the Cardinals were losing 2-1. They ended up losing 9-1, and it was one of their worst losses of the season.

The next day, Kelly was called up from the minors, and he immediately stepped into the backup catcher role. Rosario saw late action in three blowouts through the rest of the season (including an appearance at third base on September 26), but he did not start a game for the rest of the year.