Cardinals Spring Standout Should Go From NRI to Roster Spot

The St. Louis Cardinals slugger arguably has done enough to make the big league club.

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nelson Velazquez (88). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals signed 27-year-old slugger Nelson Velázquez to a minor league deal back in January and now with under two weeks to go until Opening Day, he should have a job with the big league club out of camp.

Throughout the offseason, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said multiple times that the organization was looking for a righty slugger for the outfield. The Cardinals signed Velázquez and the deal didn't make headlines left and right, like when St. Louis signed Dustin May. That shouldn't surprise anyone. It was known that he has big-time power, but he doesn't have a lot of big league experience to this point. He has 194 games of big league experience under his belt and has 31 homers. While this is the case, he arguably has made his case to make the Opening Day roster.

Velázquez has played in 12 games in Spring Training so far for St. Louis and is slashing .333/.436/.727 with four homers, nine RBIs, six walks, one double and seven runs scored.

The Cardinals slugger has done enough

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nelson Velazquez (88) throws a ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

It's hard to ask for much more from a guy in camp. With Lars Nootbaar up in the air for Opening Day, left field is wide open. Thomas Saggese is someone expected to be in the mix for the spot, but he left to go take part in the World Baseball Classic with Team Italy. José Fermín is another guy who has gotten looks in camp. Nathan Church is another guy who should be in consideration.

While this is the case, none of these guys, outside of Velázquez, gives the team massive power potential. Spring Training stats can be deceiving. They come from a small sample size that could be skewed easily. But, still, Velázquez has played like someone who can help this team, at least in the short term, to replace Nootbaar.

Plus, he just turned 27 years old in December. There are few guys in camp who have done more for their chances to make the Opening Day roster than Velázquez. Opening Day is under two weeks away and Velázquez arguably has done enough to make the club.