Cardinals' Joshua Baez Surges Into Triple-A Home Run Lead With Career Night

St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Joshua Báez just produced one of the most electric offensive games baseball fans will likely see at any level this year.

Báez, St. Louis' No. 3 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, went 4-for-5 with seven RBIs for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds on Tuesday. Most impressively, though, all four of his hits left the ballpark in Memphis' 12-5 victory over the Nashville Sounds, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. The 22-year-old began the night with a three-run blast in the first inning that exploded off the bat at 108.2 mph. He then crushed a two-run homer 408 feet to center field in the third inning, and followed that up with a solo shot in the fifth and eighth frames.

With this standout performance, Báez became the 14th minor leaguer with a four-homer game since 2005, according to the official Minor League Baseball account on X, formerly known as Twitter. The righty-swinging slugger also took sole possession of this season's Triple-A home run crown for the time being. And after a game like that, many Cardinals fans are probably wondering how much longer the franchise can keep the 22-year-old in the minors.

Joshua Báez's power is hard to ignore

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez (22). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Following his four-homer game on Tuesday, Báez is now up to 23 long balls in 2026. The next-closest hitter in the International League is Chicago White Sox infield prospect Jacob Gonzalez, who has 19 home runs this year in Triple-A but is now in the majors. Los Angeles Dodgers lefty-swinging slugger James Tibbs III also has 19 homers right now to lead the Pacific Coast League.

Overall this season, Báez has a .282 batting average, a .345 on-base percentage, and a .976 OPS with 23 homers, 58 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 62 Triple-A games. Last year, the young outfielder hit .287 with 20 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 54 stolen bases in 117 games across two minor league levels. So, the power-hitting prospect now has more homers this year than he did all of last season after his latest offensive outburst.

St. Louis is currently in second place in the National League Central with a 40-31 record. It's unclear if the Cardinals plan to call Báez up to the majors at any point this season, but his bat could be a massive addition to the big league lineup during a potential playoff push later this year.

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