Cardinals-Rainiel Rodriguez Experiment Could Open New Path to MLB

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most intriguing prospects in Major League Baseball in Rainiel Rodriguez and a social media post certainly raised some eyebrows throughout the week.

Rodriguez is a star in the making. The 19-year-old is the Cardinals' No. 1 overall prospect and he's currently ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in the game, per MLB Pipeline. Despite the fact that Rodriguez hasn't played above Double-A yet, there aren't many questions about his bat. This kid can really hit. But where will he play? He's gotten most of his professional playing time to this point behind the plate, but the Cardinals are loaded with catcher prospects. He has also gotten time at first base, which is where Alec Burleson plays. Of course, designated hitter would be an easy option, but do you want to take the glove away from a player so young?

Positionally, there are some question marks but one thing that was interesting was the fact popular X account Redbird Rants, who focuses on St. Louis minor league content, shared a photo of Rodriguez getting some reps at third base.

Well well well, what do we have here 👀 pic.twitter.com/i5R8swyEkE
— Redbird Farmhands (@RedbirdFarmhand) October 8, 2026

Intriguing, Intriguing

St. Louis Cardinals Rainiel Rodriguez — Springfield Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez sprints to third base against the Amarillo Sod Poodles in Game two of the Texas League Championship series in Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday, Sept. 22. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Now, this is very intriguing.

To this point, Rodriguez has never played in a game professionally at third base.

Again, catcher is a spot that is loaded. In the majors, the Cardinals had Leo Bernal, Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages all on the roster down the stretch. Plus, Jimmy Crooks is still in the organization. He spent time in both the majors and in Triple-A in 2026.

Bernal is the guy for St. Louis, at least right now heading into the 2027 season. Burleson has first base locked up right now. DH isn't locked up, although if Herrera isn't behind the plate, he seems like an option there. But third base is completely up in the air. Nolan Gorman isn't the answer. Thomas Saggese and Blaze Jordan surely will get looks throughout the offseason. Jesus Baez is someone who has gotten a lot of buzz after hitting 39 home runs and driving in 109 runs in 113 games played. But he also hasn't played above Double-A, so he may not be an Opening Day option, barring a surprise.

That's also the case with Rodriguez. Again, he also hasn't played above Double-A. But if he's able to be more flexible from a position standpoint, that's just going to help his case as he works his way up through the minors.

In 2026, he slashed .324/.413/.574 with a .987 OPS, 27 home runs, 87 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 30 doubles and 97 runs scored in 115 games played. He also won the Texas League Batting title in 2026. Again, this kid can really hit. Now, it's a matter of getting him higher in the farm system. This idea of taking reps at third base could be yet another path forward.

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