How the Cardinals Can Promote and Unlock Joshua Báez

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the hottest overall prospects in baseball down in Triple-A in Joshua Báez, but there doesn't appear to be a spot for him in the majors right now.

While this is the case, something surely will have to be done to get his bat up to the majors soon. It's that good. Báez has played in 67 games this season and is slashing .274/.343/.626 with a .969 OPS, 25 homers, 64 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, 14 doubles, three triples, and 56 runs scored. He has six homers in his last six games and seven homers in his last eight games. Right now, his 162-game pace would be 60 homers and 154 RBIs.

The Cardinals Should Promote Joshua Báez

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

That type of production needs to be on the big league roster. But how do you do so with Jordan Walker, Nathan Church, and Lars Nootbaar all healthy? Arguably, Báez should be called up as fast as possible. Get him on the big league roster and then you figure it out from there.

Walker isn't going anywhere. He's going to start pretty much every single game, and he should. With the other two spots, you could find a way to get a rotation in. If the Cardinals were to promote Báez, you'd expect him to be an everyday player. He can play all three outfield spots. It's also important to note that Iván Herrera is catching roughly twice per cycle, at least.

On days Herrera catches, you can play Báez as designated hitter, Chuch in center field, and Nootbaar in left field. On days Herrera is the DH, put Báez in either left field or center field with at least a day off per week for both Church and Nootbaar. Also, give Báez a day off per week as he was to get acclimated to the big league game as well.

In this scenario, Báez would play in four out of five games in a cycle, including in the outfield and as designated hitter. In this scenario, Church and Nootbaar would also get plenty of time, thanks in large part to an outfielder being used in the DH spot twice per week. All in all, it's possible that Báez could help this club in the majors right now. The time is now for St. Louis to make the call. Báez is playing out of his mind right now and the Cardinals could use more pop.

Add us as a preferred source on Google