Cardinals Ship No. 4 Prospect to Minors Despite Impressive Homer Feat

The 22-year-old could reach the majors soon...

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

Joshua Báez was already a fast riser in the St. Louis Cardinals' system, but his past three games have made him into a spring training star.

After homering on Friday and Saturday, Báez returned from his day off to face the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. In the seventh inning, he stepped to the plate against Nestor German and pummeled a slider 416 feet with an exit velocity of 109.4 mph.

After the game, however, Báez's spring in the outfield with the major league club came to an end at an ironic moment. According to the official transactions log, Báez was one of four players on the Cardinals' 40-man roster to be optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

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Joshua Báez option always made the most sense

Getting optioned should not diminish the accomplishments Báez has notched not only this spring, but in the Cardinals organization over the last year. Coming into the 2025 season, the Boston native was unranked on MLB Pipeline's St. Louis organizational top prospects list; now, he's at No. 4.

In his 10 spring games this year, Báez went 7-for-21 with the trio of home runs and 16 total bases. That added up to a 1.179 OPS, though he certainly got plenty of his at-bats against pitchers who are unlikely to see much time in the majors this year.

After he was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster in November, Báez had established himself as someone who could earn the right to debut in the majors this year if he kept up his present trajectory. But he also hasn't played a single game in Triple-A yet, so it was never particularly likely that he could compete for the opening day roster.

Báez excelled in 79 games at Double-A last season, so the fact that he's been assigned to Triple-A is a sign that the Cardinals think he's almost ready. Cardinals fans should be on the lookout for him to make his debut if any of the outfielders who start the season on the major league roster struggle.