Cardinals Camp Standout 'All But Guaranteed' to Crack Opening Day Roster

The St. Louis Cardinals certainly made a good minor league signing.

Feb 27, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nelson Velazquez (88) returns to the dugout against the New York Mets during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One topic of the conversation around the St. Louis Cardinals over the last few months is how the club has needed a right-handed slugger after trading both Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras away.

The Cardinals didn't make a splashy addition, but it sounds like they may have found the solution with a minor league deal and non-roster invitee. The Cardinals signed Nelson Velázquez in January to a minor league deal and he has stood out in camp.

He has played in 12 games so far in camp and is slashing .333/.436/.727 with four homers, nine RBIs, six walks, one double and seven runs scored. It was known coming into camp that Velázquez has big-time power, but he has been much better than advertised. So much so that Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat said on Monday that Velázquez is "all but guaranteed" to make the big league roster out of camp.

Nelson Velázquez looks like a steal right now

Feb 25, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nelson Velázquez (88) slides into second base with a double in the sixth inning as New York Mets second baseman Diego Mosquera (35) receive the ball at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"Throughout camp, he has been the team’s most productive hitter, and his spot on the opening-day roster — indeed, in the middle of the opening-day lineup — is all but guaranteed," Jones wrote. "Velázquez leads the team with four homers and nine RBIs and, perhaps most importantly, has struck out just three times in his first 33 at-bats. For a hitter with a career 28.8 percent strikeout rate, dropping that number below 10 percent is certainly not sustainable, but it shows marked improvement in what would otherwise be the one glaring flaw in his offensive profile."

How about that? Velázquez has gone from someone who didn't enter camp with much buzz, to someone called "all but guaranteed" to make the team out of camp.

With Lars Nootbaar up in the air after undergoing double heel surgery this past offseason, left field is wide open. Velázquez should get a shot after how well he has played in the spring. Velázquez has 31 big league homers in 194 games played. There are few righties with the club with the same level of power upside as Velázquez. He arguably has done enough to make the club out of camp.