Could Cardinals Finally Have Their Answer at Third Base?

The St. Louis Cardinals may finally have the answer at third base.

Sep 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Thomas Saggese (25) hits a 2 run home run during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals have dealt with a lot of injuries lately, and that has opened the door for Thomas Saggese to play every day. Saggese has mainly been playing shortstop with Masyn Winn on the shelf, but Winn isn't too far off from coming back.

Blaze Jordan had been their starting third baseman, but he went down with an ankle injury at the end of August. When Winn comes back, the Cardinals will have to move Saggese elsewhere, but with Jordan out, perhaps third base is his spot.

Lance Lynn vouched for the idea of Saggese playing every day in the future.

"They've got a ballplayer," Lynn said. "Why has he hit at every level up until this year? Because he played every day. That's just the gist of it. Saggese a guy if you tell him, 'Hey, you're going to play six out of seven and you're going to probably bat in this spot of the lineup," you don't mess around and he's probably going to be a .280 hitter, and he's going to hit his home runs and he's going to do things he needs to do, when he needs to do it. When you have so many young guys that you don't know who's who yet, people can't find who they are because they don't get to play and show who they are."

"They've got a ballplayer."

Lance Lynn believes Thomas Saggese needs to be in the lineup every day. pic.twitter.com/iHAnGCEqp8

— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) September 3, 2026

Cardinals should play Saggese every day

Sep 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Thomas Saggese (25) reacts from second on an RBI double in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saggese hit two home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night and another the next night, and he has done nothing but hit since returning to the major leagues. He was acquired in the Jordan Montgomery trade with the Texas Rangers in 2023.

Now that he is getting a chance to play every day, he's showing what kind of player he is and can be. If he can stay healthy, he could be the answer at third base. He can play all over the infield and can even be used some in the outfield, but if he plays every day and takes third base, the Cardinals still can have Winn at shortstop and JJ Wetherholt at second base.

The Cardinals will hopefully be entering the 2027 season with a lot more answers than questions, which will be a good thing as they stay focused on the future and try to figure out what they have within the organization.

Lynn likes what he has seen from Saggese, and the Cardinals may feel the same way soon in terms of their third base options.