The St. Louis Cardinals have what will be one of their most exciting days of the 2026 season ahead on Saturday.
For months, Cardinals fans have been calling on the organization to promote No. 3 overall prospect Joshua Báez. Finally, the day has come. Reports surfaced on Friday indicating that Báez would be getting the call and taking the field for the Cardinals for the first time on Saturday.
After Friday’s loss against the Chicago Cubs, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol confirmed that it is the case. The Báez era is upon us.
Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that the current expectation is that the young outfielder will replace César Prieto on the roster.
“César Prieto’s locker and equipment are being cleared out here, so he will be the corresponding move for Báez,” Jones wrote on X.
The Cardinals haven’t officially announced the transaction as of writing, so it’s unclear if Prieto will be optioned, or designated for assignment. That information will come out early on Saturday.
Prieto has played in 12 games so far this season for the Cardinals and has gone 1-for-31 from the plate.
With Prieto expected to go down to Triple-A, the most obvious way forward would be simply sticking with Blaze Jordan at the hot corner. He has played in 45 games this season and has slashed .246/.270/.359 with a .629 OPS, one home run, 22 RBIs, seven doubles and three triples.
If the Cardinals wanted to make another move at third base, Nolan Gorman has been heating up with Triple-A Memphis recently. Since July 25, Gorman has slashed .255/.388/.691 with a 1.079 OPS, eight home runs, 16 RBIs, 12 walks, and 13 runs scored in 15 games played. Arguably, the Cardinals should simply stick with Jordan longer and see if Gorman can keep up this hot streak in Triple-A before bringing him back up.
With Báez coming to town, he should give the Cardinals exactly what they need from an offensive standpoint. The 23-year-old played in 103 games down in Triple-A before getting his promotion to the big leagues. Over that stretch, he crushed 34 home runs, drove in 90 runs and stole 21 bases. If he can carry that over to the big leagues, St. Louis will be just fine.
The Cardinals have needed more right-handed power. Báez is the guy and Prieto reportedly is the corresponding move.
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