The St. Louis Cardinals are thin in the infield right now with both Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt on the Injured List.
For as difficult as it is to be without the services of both of the club's starting middle infielders , one guy is making the absolute most of his opportunity and arguably is putting himself back on the club's radar for beyond the 2026 season.
That is utility man Thomas Saggese .
Think back to Spring Training . Saggese's name was out there a lot. The former fifth-round pick was acquired by the Cardinals back in 2023 from the Texas Rangers in St. Louis ' deal centered around Jordan Montgomery . Saggese was immediately among the Cardinals' top prospects and was known for his bat.
Sep 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is out at second as St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Thomas Saggese (25) throws to first base during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Saggese made his big league debut in 2024 and played in just 18 games. In 2025, he played in 82 games all over the infield and showed some serious promise. He slashed .258/.299/.342 with a .641 OPS, two homers, 17 doubles and 25 RBIs at just 23 years old. At the time, it seemed like the Cardinals may have found their next utility man, in the same vein as guys like Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan .
He struggled out of the gate this season, though. In Spring Training, he was among the group attempting to get up to speed out in left field when the Cardinals had a hole due to Lars Nootbaar recovering from offseason surgery. He looked good early on in camp, but went off to the World Baseball Classic and didn't play much. When he got back, he wasn't up to speed and struggled out of the gate. He was demoted down to Triple-A in early June, while batting just .184.
While down in Triple-A, he was clearly able to get back on track and he has shown that since the end of August after being recalled to the majors . He was promoted because of the injuries in the infield and has slashed .517/.543/.931 with a 1.474 OPS, three home runs, eight RBIs and three doubles in nine games.
Now, Saggese is slashing .276/.333/.457 with a .790 OPS, four home runs, 12 RBIs and five doubles in 41 games played. A smaller sample size than last year, but Saggese has shown what he can do. So far this season, Saggese has gotten playing time in left field, second base, shortstop, and third base.
Second base and shortstop are set for the Cardinals moving forward. Left field likely is too thanks to Joshua Bez. Third base is a bit more up in the air . If Saggese keeps hitting as he has over the last week, he'll put himself in the conversation for a consistent role next year, or at least as a utility man. His bat can be that good.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cardinals/onsi as Thomas Saggese Is Giving Cardinals Major Reason to Believe Again .
