JUPITER, Fla. -- The scramble to make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster is down to its final stages, and only one question remains unanswered. The pitching staff is set, and the regular lineup also appears pretty well locked in. The remaining issue to be addressed is which bench player stays behind when the Cards jet from their exhibition games against Triple-A Memphis up to St. Louis for Opening Day.

From a group that includes Colby Rasmus, Joe Mather, Joe Thurston, Brendan Ryan and Brian Barden, four will make the Opening Day roster and one will not. Rasmus and Mather, both outfielders, appear to be in decent shape because of their tactical value. Rasmus is a first-rate defensive outfielder with speed, so even if he doesn't play every day, he will often factor into games. Mather is a right-handed power source who can play all four corner positions.

Chances are, St. Louis will select two of the three infielders and send one out. Moreover, it appears that Thurston may have a leg up on his competitors.

"Thurston's got an edge, because he is our only left-handed-hitting [utility] infielder," manager Tony La Russa said. "That's definitely a plus for him."

For Thurston, 29, breaking camp with the big club would be a big deal. Entering his 11th year in professional baseball, he has never been on an Opening Day roster. He's played 1,213 games in the Minors and 59 in the Majors. That experience has taught him not to try to read too much into where he stands.

"So many different things have happened to me throughout my career," Thurston said. "Things have looked good and it didn't work out. So the way I see it is, we have five games left, so I'm just going hard until they tell me yea or nay. Nothing is final until I'm in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform on Opening Day and my name is on that roster somewhere."

If Thurston is in fact in the driver's seat, it may mean that Barden and Ryan are in competition for the final spot. That would make sense, since they are the only two players in the mix with some redundancy. Both are right-handed-hitting infielders, capable defenders at second, third and short, and talented but unproven offensive players.

The decision may not be made before the Cardinals leave Florida. La Russa said Monday that he wouldn't necessarily be opposed to taking 26 players to Memphis, then leaving one behind.