Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez makes MLB history by homering in first three big-league at-bats

You can't have a better start to your career than Joshua Báez. Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field (GameTracker), the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder became the first player in major league history to hit three home runs in his MLB debut, and he did it in his first three at-bats, too. Báez's first homer, a mammoth 449-foot shot to center field, came on the very pitch he saw in the show.

Prior to Saturday, only seven players in history had hit even two home runs in their MLB debut. Here is Báez's history-making third home run:

Bob Nieman and Keith McDonald are the only other players to hit home runs in their first two MLB at-bats. Nieman did it with the St. Louis Browns on Sept. 14, 1951. McDonald hit two homers in his first two at-bats across two games with the Cardinals in 2000. 

Báez is the eighth player in baseball's Modern Era (since 1900) to hit multiple homers in his regular-season MLB debut, but already the third this season. Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter did it on Opening Day, though he made his debut last postseason. Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jose Fernandez hit two homers in his MLB debut on March 31.

Here are the eight players with at least two home runs in their MLB debuts:

Báez led minor leagues in homers before promotion

Prior to his MLB debut, Báez was leading the minors with 36 home runs, all at the Triple-A level. He was hitting .256/.328/.573 in 103 Triple-A games overall. The promotion was certainly deserved. Baseball America ranked Báez the 56th-best prospect in baseball in their August rankings. They call him one of the best power-hitting prospects in the minors, unsurprisingly.

Saturday is an important day for MLB rookies. There are 44 days remaining in the season, meaning players called up Saturday (or later) will not accrue the 45 days of service time necessary to exhaust rookie status. That means Báez will remain eligible to win Rookie of the Year next season, and could net St. Louis a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick depending on awards voting.

Báez, 23, was a second-round pick (No. 54 overall) in the 2021 draft. He hit 22 home runs total from 2022-24, then broke out with 20 between High Class-A and Double-A in 2025, then exploded for those 36 home runs in Triple-A in 2026.