Cardinals Promote Miguel Villarroel to Triple-A in MiLB Shuffle

The St. Louis Cardinals made a few moves down in the minors on Tuesday.

Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals announced a handful of moves down in the minor leagues on Tuesday, including a jump all the way from High-A Peoria to Triple-A Memphis.

That is in reference to 24-year-old infield prospect Miguel Villarroel. The 24-year-old isn't currently ranked among St. Louis' top 30 prospects, but he has had an excellent season to this point. Villarroel played in 17 games for High-A Peoria before his promotion on Tuesday. Over that stretch, Villarroel slashed .310/.412/.466 with an .877 OPS, two homers, 14 RBIs, four stolen bases, three doubles and 12 runs scored. Before his promotion, he had never played above High-A and now he's going all the way up to Triple-A, just one step below the majors.

The Cardinals announced a handful of moves on Tuesday headlined by the Villarroel promotion, but that wasn't all.

The Cardinals Made A Handful Of Moves

Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

"INF Miguel Villarroel has been transferred from Peoria (A+) to Memphis (AAA)," the Cardinals announced. "RHP Jason Savacool has been transferred from Memphis to Peoria. RHP Hunter Kublick has been transferred from the FCL to Palm Beach (A). RHP Anthony Watts has been transferred from Palm Beach to the FCL. RHP Bruno López (A+) has been transferred from the 7-day IL to the 60-day IL."

INF Miguel Villarroel has been transferred from Peoria (A+) to Memphis (AAA).

RHP Jason Savacool has been transferred from Memphis to Peoria.

RHP Hunter Kublick has been transferred from the FCL to Palm Beach (A).

RHP Anthony Watts has been transferred from Palm Beach to the…

— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) May 5, 2026

Again, the Villarroel promotion is the most intriguing move of the day. He's a right-handed bat who can help replace the loss of César Prieto at Triple-A Memphis. Prieto can also play all over the infield, but was promoted to St. Louis on Monday. He has shown clear progress so far this season. Last year, Villarroel played in 66 games with High-A Peoria and slashed .254/.307/.331 with two homers and 25 RBIs. In 2026, he already has matched his home run tally from last year and is more than halfway to his RBI total.

On the other hand, the Cardinals demoted 2023 sixth-round pick Jason Savacool from Triple-A down to High-A after one appearance just one step away from the majors. Overall, he has pitched in six games this season (five in High-A and one in Triple-A) and has a 5.59 ERA in 9 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

None of these moves is going to impact the club in the majors in the near future. The closest would be Villarroel heading up to Triple-A, seeing how he is now one step away from the big leagues. But don't expect to see him in the short term.