Cardinals’ Next Call-Up After Joshua Báez Should Be Obvious

The St. Louis Cardinals have another prospect ready to make the jump to the big leagues.

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal (13) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals made a big move over the weekend and finally gave young outfielder Joshua Báez a shot in the majors and he didn't disappoint.

Báez captured the attention of the entire MLB world by going out and slugging not one, not two, but three home runs in his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Truly a debut for the ages, and potentially the best MLB debut for a position player of all time.

What should make Cardinals fans excited is the fact that Báez is far from the last impactful prospect at the top of the minors. Cardinals fans saw what he brings to the table on Saturday and there are more prospects who could very well come up to the majors and have a big impact as well.

On Monday, Quinn Mathews was promoted to make his second big-league start and looked good once again. Arguably, he should get a consistent role in the rotation, but that is a separate conversation.

The Cardinals Have Another Prospect To Watch

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal (13) catches a pitch during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals are in the playoff hunt in the National League right now and if they want to give themselves a boost, one way to potentially do so would be by promoting No. 7 overall prospect Leo Bernal.

Bernal already is on the 40-man roster and has been excellent down in Triple-A this season. Right now, he's slashing .285/.368/.483 with an .850 OPS, 15 home runs, 73 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 19 doubles and 64 runs scored in 92 games played.

Iván Herrera obviously isn't going anywhere. He was an All-Star this season and is one of the team's best overall hitters. But he has some serious questions behind the plate, especially when attempting to throw guys out. It wouldn't hurt to move him even more to a designated hitter role.

Beyond Herrera, the Cardinals have Pedro Pagés batting .207 and Jimmy Crooks batting .183. Clearly, they aren't getting the offense that they need behind the plate, aside from when Herrera is behind the plate.

Bernal is someone who could come in and potentially make a difference. We've already seen what Báez can do. He hasn't been able to get a hit since his debut, but he has been tearing the cover off the ball, although he has been unlucky and hitting it right at guys. He's going to help a lot down the stretch. But the Cardinals could use a little more and Bernal would be the obvious option.