Baker elected to enter free agency Monday, per MILB.com transaction log.
Baker was initially outrighted to Triple-A Reno on Monday two days after being designated by the Diamondbacks for assignment, but the 29-year-old slugger will open the free market and look to take his talents elsewhere. He slashed .242/.395/.424 with one home run and five RBI across 43 plate appearances with Reno prior to his departure.
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Diamondbacks' Luken Baker: Reporting to Triple-A
Rotowire
Baker was sent outright to Triple-A Reno on Monday.
Baker was booted from the 40-man roster Saturday, and he'll report to Triple-A after failing to draw interest while on the waiver wire. He's batting .242 with one home run, five RBI and four runs scored across nine appearances this year with the Aces.
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Diamondbacks' Luken Baker: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Diamondbacks designated Baker for assignment Saturday.
Baker has appeared in just three games for Arizona, during which he's gone 1-for-5 with three strikeouts. He'll now concede his place on the active roster to make room for Lourdes Gurriel (knee), who returned from the injured list in a corresponding move.
The Diamondbacks reinstated Gurriel (knee) from the injured list Saturday.
Just seven months after undergoing ACL repair surgery in September, Gurriel will return from the injured list to make his season debut against the Blue Jays. He will likely be limited to DH duties to begin with but is expected to eventually return to his normal place in left field. Luken Baker was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
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Diamondbacks' Luken Baker: Makes first start
Rotowire
Baker started at first base and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Baltimore.
Baker entered the starting nine after Ketel Marte (back) was scratched. That forced a lineup reshuffle with Ildemaro Vargas moving from first base to cover second and Baker getting his first start since being called up last week. Marte's injury is not considered serious, and Vargas could move back to first base for Wednesday afternoon's series finale.
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Diamondbacks' Luken Baker: Dropped from big-league camp
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The Diamondbacks reassigned Baker to minor-league camp Sunday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Baker posted a .960 OPS over 39 plate appearances in the Cactus League, but his lack of defensive versatility and status as a non-roster player were enough to keep him from breaking camp as a short-side platoon option at first base and designated hitter. He'll likely be in line for an everyday role at Triple-A Reno.
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Diamondbacks' Luken Baker: Agrees to minors deal with Arizona
Rotowire
Baker agreed to a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.
Baker has flashed immense power in the minors, twice reaching 30 homers on the farm with St. Louis. However, he has struggled to tap into that power in the majors, slugging .338 with four homers across 73 big-league games to date. The report did not include mention of a camp invite, so expect the 1B/DH to begin spring training on the minor-league side.
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Dodgers' Luken Baker: Bumped from 40-man roster
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The Dodgers designated Baker for assignment Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Baker was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on Monday, but his stint on the Dodgers' 40-man roster will come to an end after mere days. The 28-year-old Baker has struggled to find his footing in the majors, but he has multiple 30-homer seasons in the minors, and that power could attract another suitor.
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Dodgers' Luken Baker: Goes to Dodgers via waivers
Rotowire
The Dodgers claimed Baker off waivers from the Cardinals on Monday.
Baker slugged 35 home runs between Triple-A and the majors in 2023 and another 34 long balls between the two levels in 2024. He's hit just .196/.309/.397 with 10 home runs with Memphis in 2025, however, and has slashed only .206/.317/.338 during his time in the majors. Baker will report to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Showing increased bat speed
Rotowire
Baker has shown increased bat speed this spring and has hit a team-leading three home runs in 11 Grapefruit League games, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Baker made it a point over the offseason to increase his bat speed, and it sits at 79 mph this spring, up 5.1 mph over his 73.9 mph average from 2024. The 79 mph average would have ranked second in all of baseball last season, behind only Giancarlo Stanton (81.2 mph). Baker should open the season as a starter versus left-handed pitching, being used both at designated hitter and first base. If he can carry over the increased bat speed into the season, it's possible he works his way into some playing time against righties.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Team rejected overseas overtures
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The Cardinals declined overtures from teams overseas this offseason that wanted to acquire Baker's rights, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Goold says the Cardinals see Baker as being able to contribute as a right-handed batter off the bench and decided to keep him in that role instead. Baker will turn 28 soon and has topped 30 home runs each of the last two seasons at Triple-A Memphis, so there's nothing left for him to prove in the minors. However, it would probably take an injury or two for him to see regular at-bats with the Cardinals this season.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Baker is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.
Baker will take a seat Friday against Marcus Stroman and the Yankees. In Baker's place, Alec Burleson will DH and bat second.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Picks up steal in win
Rotowire
Baker went 0-for-2 with two walks, one RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Padres.
Baker is hitting just .133 over eight contests since he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis, but he has drawn six walks in that span. That gives him a .364 on-base percentage. Baker has added a home run, five RBI, two runs scored and a double across 22 plate appearances. He's taken over for Matt Carpenter as the Cardinals' preferred designated hitter versus right-handed pitchers, and as a right-handed batter, Baker has a good chance of sticking in the lineup versus southpaws as well.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Too many strikeouts in spring
Rotowire
Baker has gone 7-for-32 with four RBI, 11 strikeouts and three walks over 16 Grapefruit League games.
Baker struck out a 31.3 percent rate over 99 plate appearances toward the tail end of 2023. The 27-year-old has a strong power profile after slugging 33 home runs over 84 contests with Triple-A Memphis, but there's no clear path to a starting job in the majors with Paul Goldschmidt locked in at first base and Nolan Gorman likely to be the designated hitter. In terms of a competition for a bench role, Alec Burleson's strong spring and his ability to be an option in the outfield put him comfortably ahead of Baker or any number of other options to back up at first base.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Sitting versus lefty
Rotowire
Baker is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Bally Sports Midwest reports.
Baker has started just four of nine games since his recall and has now not been in the lineup three times in five contests versus southpaws over that time. The minor league's home run leader this season with 33 dingers, Baker has struggled during his few chances in the majors and the Cardinals don't seem terribly interested in giving him a longer look.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Recalled from Memphis
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
With Dylan Carlson (oblique) headed for the 10-day IL, Baker will come up from the minors to give St. Louis an additional bench bat. The 26-year-old first baseman is 5-for-19 in the majors this season and boasts a .334/.439/.720 slash line through 380 plate appearances in the minors.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Sent down Sunday
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Baker hasn't appeared in a game since July 5. He will get regular at-bats again at Memphis, where he's crushed to the tune of a .319/.433/.664 slash line and 22 homers in 64 games this season. His path to playing time is complicated by his defensive limitations, though Baker figures to get another opportunity before the end of the season, perhaps shortly after the trade deadline.
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Cardinals' Luken Baker: Summoned from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Monday. He'll serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Monday's series opener in Miami.
Baker was up with the Cardinals for a couple weeks last month but played sparingly, with most of his limited opportunities coming against left-handed pitching. St. Louis is slated to face a few southpaws this week, so he could see a handful of starts before the All-Star break.
