4 young Cardinals position players fighting for roles in 2026

The Redbird faithful have been subjected to trying times in recent years. A lack of success and trade after trade has compounded into a landslide of major-league depth. Which players should command the majority of playing time for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2026? 

Which players should get the first looks?

Thomas Saggese

Thomas Saggese made his way to St. Louis in the Jordan Montgomery deal during the 2023 MLB trade deadline. 

When he first arrived, it looked like the change of scenery had paid dividends. Saggese put up a .903 OPS throughout three different levels in 2023 and then stayed consistent with a respectable .752 OPS the following year. 

2025 saw new lows for the former highly touted prospect. Saggese bounced back and forth between the minors and the big club, and his short time in The Show saw little to no success. He has yet to show any power threat at the MLB level, and his calling card, his contact rate, has plummeted. 

Saggese was always a tough out on his journey to calling himself a big-leaguer. The way his career has shaped up so far is very indicative of the league figuring him out.

The young infielder has gone to war against the fastball and lost in his short major-league lifeline. Finding sustained success starts with taking control of the four-seamer and building from there.

Jimmy Crooks

The Cardinals’ seemingly endless pipeline of young catchers struck once again in 2024 with the emergence of Jimmy Crooks. 

The left-handed hitting backstop paved his way to an MLB debut by putting up a .908 OPS in 2024 and then staying steady with a .778 OPS the following season until his eventual call to The Show. Crooks saw ZERO success at the MLB level. His sample size was incredibly small, so it's unfair to say he won’t pan out based on what we’ve seen. However, where does he fit in with the Cardinals? 

St. Louis still employs the likes of Pedro Pages and has stated that Ivan Herrera will see more time behind the dish in 2026. 

Where will Crooks find his playing time? If he’s not going to be given a real opportunity, the Cardinals need to move him before the season starts rather than let him sit and collect dust like an old toy.

Leonardo Bernal

Yet another byproduct of the Cardinals' catching pipeline (Is Yadier Molina secretly working in the minors?), Leonardo Bernal has hit a crossroads. 

In 2026, St. Louis will employ the likes of Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera, Jimmy Crooks, and Yohel Pozo behind the dish. All of whom have earned a right to playing time. 

Bernal had another successful season in 2025 at the AA level. He registered a .726 OPS throughout a full season's worth of games, which is nothing to scoff at from the catcher position. His true value comes on the defensive side of the ball, where his arm cuts down runners like a machete. 

If the Cardinals don’t plan on making room for Bernal on their Opening Day roster, he needs to be moved before the season starts. St. Louis could pursue a prospect who has a clearer path to big-league playing time, or a piece that will immediately aid the club in 2026 (maybe a reliever or a young right-handed bat with some juice?). 

Whatever they decide to do, it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Don’t stall on Bernal.

Nolan Gorman

Gorman has similar struggles to Walker, but has found intervals of success, creating peaks and valleys that average out to a slightly below-average bat. 

Due to his lack of positional identity and the rise of JJ Wetherholt, it’s most likely time to move on from Matthew Liberatore’s childhood friend. 

Gorman can definitely still find success going forward in his big-league career, but it shouldn’t be in St. Louis. He has yet to play defense, can’t run the bases well, and can hit the ball a mile but rarely connects. The stocky second baseman would slot in perfectly with another rebuilding team that has more playing time to give out at designated hitter and second base.

Gorman’s departure from this roster creates much more flexibility for the rest of the infielders on this list.

As Opening Day fast approaches for the 2026 Cardinals, the fans await clarity on a congested roster full of stagnation and question marks.