Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Receiving first day off since call-up
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Baez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Baez made waves in his MLB debut Saturday against the Cubs with home runs in his first three trips to the plate, but since then, he's gone 0-for-18 with an 0:7 BB:K, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals will give the young outfielder a mental break by sending him to the bench for the first time since he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Bryan Torres will spell Baez in left field and bat seventh.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Riding struggle bus since three-homer debut
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Baez went 0-for-9 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored while starting in both ends of Monday's doubleheader in Cincinnati.
Since making history Saturday in his MLB debut at Wrigley Field with three home runs and five RBI in his first three at-bats, Baez has gone hitless with six strikeouts in his subsequent 16 trips to the plate. Given that the 23-year-old outfielder struck out at a 29.5 percent clip at Triple-A Memphis this season, his early struggles with making consistent contact in the big leagues don't come as a major surprise and could make him prone to slumps. Even so, the all-fields power Baez put on display in his debut and during his time in the minors in addition to his aggressiveness as a baserunner (21 steals in 24 attempts at Memphis) should be more than enough to offset the risk he carries in the batting-average category. He should also benefit from ample RBI opportunities, as the Cardinals slotted him fifth in the order in three of his first four starts.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Makes history in MLB debut
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Baez went 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Cubs.
Making his big-league debut at storied Wrigley Field, Baez did something no other player in MLB history had ever done, homering in his first three trips to the plate. All three long balls came off Matthew Boyd, with the first being a massive 449-foot blast to center field on the very first pitch Baez saw, and the three homers combined traveled 1,199 feet. The 23-year-old outfielder earned his promotion Saturday by launching 34 home runs in 79 Triple-A games this season, and it doesn't look like he's going to have much trouble translating that power to the top level of baseball.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Promotion official
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The Cardinals recalled Baez from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
One of the top prospects in all of baseball, Baez will make his MLB debut Saturday against the Cubs after slashing .254/.326/.572 this season at Memphis while tallying 34 homers, 90 RBI, 79 runs scored and 21 steals in 103 games. The 23-year-old is likely to immediately fill an everyday role upon joining the Cardinals and is worth picking up in virtually all formats. Cesar Prieto was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Slated for major-league debut Saturday
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St. Louis manager Oli Marmol said Friday that Baez will be in the Cardinals' lineup against the Cubs on Saturday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Baez is scheduled to make his major-league debut in Chicago on Saturday, five years after being selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He's been heating up at the plate at the right time, having gone 20-for-58 (.345) with six steals, six doubles, five home runs and 16 RBI over his last 15 games with Triple-A Memphis, which has brought him up to an .898 OPS across 460 plate appearances this season. Baez has played in all three spots in the outfield and should see a fair amount of reps in the majors, with most of his starts likely coming in left field.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Heating back up at Triple-A
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Baez has slashed .333/.412/.733 with four home runs and three stolen bases over his last 12 contests at Triple-A Memphis.
Baez had been in a rut prior to that, collecting just a .450 OPS across his previous 20 contests, but the slugger looks to have gotten back on track. The 23-year-old has played an even 100 games this season with Memphis, slashing .252/.324/.572 with 33 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 8.1 percent walk rate and 29.3 percent strikeout rate. Top prospects promoted to the majors around mid-August will retain rookie eligibility in 2027, and the Cardinals might be waiting until that deadline before calling up Baez. St. Louis cleared a path in left field for Baez when it traded Lars Nootbaar earlier this month.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Four-homer game at Triple-A
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Baez went 4-for-5 with four home runs and seven RBI in Triple-A Memphis' win over Nashville on Tuesday.
Baez went deep in each of his first three trips to the plate before he grounded out back to the pitcher in the seventh inning. He then got another chance in the eighth inning and smashed a solo blast. Baez has an incredible 12 long balls over his last 18 games, pushing his total on the season to a career-high 23. He's also stolen 12 bases in 13 attempts and boasts a .976 OPS. Baez's best path to playing time with the Cardinals is in center field, and most of his starts have come at that position (35). However, Baez has played right field in each of his last three contests.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Back-to-back two-homer games
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Baez homered twice for the second consecutive game at Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.
After going 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI on Tuesday, Baez cranked a solo home run and a two-run blast Wednesday. Baez has gone deep nine times in May to push his season total to 15, which is just five off his total from last year's breakout campaign. His strikeout rate has been elevated in 2026 at 32.7 percent, but Baez is slashing a healthy .251/.332/.552 with 11 stolen bases in addition to his 15 long balls. Baez has also made six of his last seven starts in center field, and it's at that position where he's likely to break into the big leagues.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Cardinals optioned Baez to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Shortly after homering in his third straight Grapefruit League game, Baez is cut from big-league camp. The 22-year-old had a breakout 2025 season, hitting .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. If Baez is able to carry over that success into a hot start in 2026, he could push for a major-league debut sooner rather than later.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Homers in third straight game
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Baez popped a two-run home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.
Baez's seventh-inning blast off of Nestor German traveled 416 feet and was measured at 109.4 mph off the bat. It's the third long ball in as many games for Baez, who was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this offseason after a breakout 2025 campaign that saw him slash .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. Baez drew his first start in left field this spring Monday, and there is playing time available at that position with Lars Nootbaar (heels) expected to begin the season on the injured list. It's unlikely St. Louis would consider the 22-year-old for its Opening Day roster, but Baez could debut at some point this summer if he continues his upward trajectory.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Selected to 40-man
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The Cardinals selected Baez's contract from Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Baez adjusted well to Double-A ball upon receiving his promotion in late May, slashing .271/.371/.509 with 16 homers, 55 RBI, 46 runs scored and 33 stolen bases across 79 games at Springfield. His breakout season has earned him a spot on St. Louis' 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft in December, and he may be a candidate to make his big-league debut in 2026 if he continues to stuff the stat sheet in the minors.
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Cardinals' Joshua Baez: Back in action at Single-A
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Baez (wrist) was reinstated from Single-A Palm Beach's 7-day injured list Tuesday and went 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch and an RBI in his return to the lineup.
Baez suited up for Palm Beach for the first time since debuting for the affiliate May 17 after spending the last three months recovering from and rehabbing a sprained left wrist. Prior to being activated, Baez slashed .237/.326/.395 over a 12-game rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
