The St. Louis Cardinals are promoting outfield prospect Joshua Báez to the Major Leagues ahead of a Saturday matinee against the Cubs in Chicago. Ranked No. 59 overall by MLB Pipeline, the 23-year-old slugger leads Triple-A with 34 home runs as the club balances a postseason chase with evaluating young talent.
The Long-Awaited Promotion to Wrigley Field
A little more than five years after the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Joshua Báez is getting the call to the show. Manager Oli Marmol announced the move, telling reporters that the versatile outfielder would join the team in Chicago and be in the starting lineup Saturday for his Major League debut at Wrigley Field. He’s on his way, Marmol said, adding, He’ll be in the lineup tomorrow.
The timing lands in the thick of a crucial road stretch. Following a 3-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs, the Cardinals sit at 61-61 and 3.5 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Despite selling at the trade deadline by parting ways with impending free agents Dustin May, JoJo Romero, and trading Lars Nootbaar to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the front office has left an opening for young players to grab hold of roles while the club remains within striking distance.
Báez arrives in the majors carrying enormous raw power and a resume featuring a historic minor league milestone. Playing for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds this season, he batted .256 with 34 home runs, 90 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and a .901 on-base-plus-slugging percentage across 103 games. His 34 homers lead Triple-A and rank second in the minor leagues, a surge highlighted by a rare four-home-run game in June.
There’s an edge to it. There’s a confidence to it, and he has a work ethic that’s fun to watch, too. He knows how to get after it. He wants to win, and it’s fun to inject that into this clubhouse because we have a lot of guys that are that way.
That immense physical ability has come alongside persistent swing-and-miss tendencies. From 2021 through 2024, Báez posted a 34.4% strikeout rate across 896 minor league plate appearances. He showed notable strides last year between High-A and Double-A by cutting his strikeout rate to 20.6% while hitting 20 home runs, earning him a spot on the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. While his strikeout rate ticked back up to 29.5% over 461 trips to the plate this season, his development has transformed him from a pure slugger into a more complete hitter.
Strategic Roster Management and Future Control
The mechanics of the call-up involve precise roster maneuvering.
The timing of the promotion also carries significant contractual implications. By bringing him up late in the season after the threshold for accruing 45 days of service time has passed, the Cardinals ensure that as long as he stays under 130 at-bats for the remainder of the year, he will retain his rookie status going into 2027. That preservation keeps him eligible for future Prospect Promotion Incentive benefits and keeps award eligibility intact for next season.
With departures at the deadline having cleared regular playing time, Báez joins an outfield mix that includes Jordan Walker, Nathan Church, Everson Pereira, José Fermín, and Bryan Torres.
Senior Editor, Sport
Luis is a respected sports journalist with several national writing awards. He covers major leagues, global tournaments, and athlete profiles, blending analysis with captivating storytelling.
