Cardinals’ Joshua Báez Carrying Spring Training Surge to Triple-A

St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Joshua Báez certainly is giving the club something to think about down in Triple-A.

Báez was a Spring Training standout for the organization, but didn't make the big league club out of camp. Báez was among St. Louis' best sluggers in camp and slashed .333/.417/.762 with three homers, five RBIs and a 1.179 OPS in 10 games played.

He turned heads in Spring Training, but is just 22 years old and St. Louis opted to send him down to Triple-A to begin the season, instead of taking the left field job in the majors. The idea made sense at the time. Báez had not played at a level above Double-A in his professional career to that point. So, the Cardinals started him down in Triple-A and so far this season he is slsahing .230/.345/.486 with five homers, 13 RBIs and five stolen bases in 20 games played.

Báez's batting average may not be high, but his on-base percentage is solid and he has added big power as well. In 2025, Báez played in 117 games overall down in the minors and slashed .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers, 79 RBIs and 54 stolen bases in High-A and Double-A.

The Cardinals Prospect Is Making His Case For A Promotion

Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Joshua Baez (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Right now, Báez is on pace for 29 homers, 76 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. If he is able to keep up his current pace across 117 games, like last year. Now, he's doing this in Triple-A, rather than the lower levels of the minors. It just goes to show how impressive a prospect Báez is.

Now, it doesn't seem like a change is coming for the Cardinals in the short term. St. Louis has made it clear that neither Victor Scott II nor Nathan Church is losing their consistent roles with the club right now, despite sluggish starts offensively.

So, Báez will have to continue to wait down in Triple-A. Arguably, he's playing well enough to get a shot at some point in the near future. Soon enough, Lars Nootbaar is going to return and the outfield is going to be even more crowded. It'd be somewhat easier to give him a look before Nootbaar returns, but the same can be said about Church as well. So, right now, we wait to see Báez. At this point, the most likely way we're going to see him promoted is if an injury pops up or someone is traded from the big league roster.

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