Star Slugging Prospect Promoted to Cardinals for MLB Debut Against Rival Cubs
Joshua Báez, whose torrid rise through the Cardinals' Minor League system over the past two seasons was capped by a 34-homer push in 2026, is being promoted to the big leagues for his MLB debut, manager Oliver Marmol said after the Cards' loss to the Cubs on Friday.
Video Transcript
Joshua Baez, the six foot three, two hundred and twenty pound slugger who led all of Minor League Baseball this year with thirty-four home runs and ninety RBIs, is headed to the Cardinals for his Major League debut.
Cardinal manager Oliver Marmol said after Friday's three-nothing loss to the Cubs that Baez was being promoted.
They're hopeful that Baez, with his speed and athleticism and power, can provide a spark to a Cardinal offense that's really struggled since the All-Star break.
Today, in fact, they only had three hits, got shut out by the Cubs.
Baez can play all three outfield spots.
This season he's, he's, he's committed five errors in the three outfield spots, but he does have six, outfield assists.
He's played, center field forty-four games.
He played right field in thirty-two games, played left field in twenty-one games, and he was even a DH for eight games.
But his numbers are off the charts.
He has a .573 slugging percentage, which is number two overall in the minor leagues.
That .901 OPS is, is, is eye-popping.
Thirty-four home runs, ninety RBIs, we mentioned earlier, twenty-one steals in twenty-four tries.
Here's the downside.
Hundred and thirty-six strikeouts and just thirty-seven walks, so he does come with a lot of swing and miss.
That's a 33%, 33.2%, strikeout rate.
But here's why he's coming to the big leagues.
Over the last 15 games, Baez has hit .345, .415 on base percentage.
He's got 1100 OPS.
He's cut that strikeout rate over his last 65 at bats to 24.6%, so that's much better.
That obviously got the Cardinals' attention.
You know, the Cardinals wanna bring him up, but they also have to be cognizant of, he can't spend more than 45 days of service time at the big league level, and he can't exceed 130 plate appearances.
He has you know, has to stay below those numbers to keep his rookie status.
If he goes on to win the Rookie of the Year in 2027, if there's a Major League Baseball season in 2027 and he wins the Rookie of the Year, the Cardinals would get a draft pick as compensation.
And as we know well with Heim Bloom over the past year, draft picks really, really matter to this organization.
So, the timing of this makes sense.
The way he's playing over these last 15 games, last 65 at bats, the fact that he can play, all three outfield spots.
This season, the Cardinals have only the Cardinal center fielders have only hit .217 with a .596 OPS.
Nine home runs, a c- most of those coming from Nathan Church, of course.
Left field, not much better.
The Cardinal left fielders have only hit .239 with a .681 OPS, thirteen home runs and fifty-one RBIs.
So, this kid is coming up.
Put him next to Jordan Walker and they're gonna look like a couple NFL tight ends.
Baez is big, he's strong, he can run like the wind.
He's just gotta watch the, you know, just watch the swing and miss.
If he hits balls, he's-- they're gonna leave the park.
He's just that powerful.
Of his thirty-four home runs this year, he had, three games where he hit two, and then he had a game in June, June 16th against Nashville, where he hit four home runs and drove in seven.
So enormous power.
It's helped, Baez, Baez struggled the first four years he was in, in professional baseball.
He was a second-round pick in '21, then struggled for four years in a row in the minors and then just took off last season.
He started 2025 at Peoria, played well there, got promoted to Springfield, helped Springfield, win a, a Texas League title.
Last year he was a 20-20-20 guy.
Twenty-three, doubles, twenty home runs, fifty-four stolen bases, seventy-nine RBI.
So that really set him on the course, and then he backed it up with the thirty-four home runs this year.
So expect Joshua Baez to be in the starting lineup on Saturday when the Cardinals play the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
For your Cardinal Report, I'm John Denton with Roundtable Sports.
