Cardinals 23-Year-Old Making Serious Push for Opening Day Roster

The St. Louis Cardinals won't look exceptionally different on Opening Day, as opposed to much of the rest of the roster.

It was an offseason of change for St. Louis, but the outfield hasn't felt the turnover as much as other areas of the roster. Victor Scott II will be in center field and Jordan Walker will be in right field, barring injuries, of course. If Lars Nootbaar were healthy, he'd be in left field. So, there really wouldn't be any change, for the most part.

But with Nootbaar working his way back from offseason surgery on both of his heels, the Cardinals are going to have to get creative until he's ready to roll. While projecting the club's Opening Day roster, Cardinals insider Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that "no one would be surprised" if Thomas Saggese gets the nod.

The Cardinals utility man is someone to watch

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese (25) waits to hit during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"The biggest question here is whether Saggese and [José Fermín] should be listed below in the outfielders because that’s a significant part of how they’ll make the team," Goold wrote when projecting the Opening Day roster. "[Ramón Urías]’ addition at the start of camp gave competition for young infielders [JJ Wetherholt] and [Nolan Gorman], but it was also a direct challenge for the players out to win the utility spot on the bench, namely another right-handed utility fielder Fermin.

"His skillset and contact profile has advocates within the Cardinals’ decision tree, and that could carry the call given he’s also out of options. No one would be surprised if Saggese is the starting left fielder on opening day."

Saggese came over in 2023 in the Cardinals' trade with the Texas Rangers around Jordan Montgomery. He made his big league debut in 2024 and has played in 100 games in the majors over the last two seasons across the infield. He has shown that he can hit at the big league level and can play all over the infield. With Brendan Donovan out the door, the Cardinals could use another super utility guy and Saggese has been playing in the outfield this spring.

With the lineup being lefty-heavy, this arguably should be the path the Cardinals take. Saggese is just 23 years old and is a righty batter with big upside. If they can get his bat into the lineup, that would be a win wherever he is.