Cardinals' Joshua Baez is destroying Triple-A pitching, so why isn't he in St. Louis?

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Joshua Baez is starting to make serious noise in the minor leagues. 

This season, St. Louis’ number three prospect was promoted to Triple-A Memphis. Since the call-up, he’s done nothing but clobber opposing arms—while being 3.1 years younger than the average player in Triple-A. 

In the right-hander’s last five contests, he’s batting .400, with five bombs and two triples, further demonstrating his combo threat of power and speed. 

In addition to the offensive hot stretch, Baez has displayed improved defense, above-average baserunning (11 SBs), and solid on-base numbers. His only true vice has been strike three, a known struggle for emerging sluggers. Even Jordan Walker, who’s been MVP-like for the big club, still struggles with chase. So what’s the holdup? Why aren’t these Baez bombs a commodity in The Lou? 

St. Louis made the right decision leaving Baez in Triple-A

Recently, the Cardinals shuffled their deck and called up spring standout Nelson Velázquez and backstop Jimmy Crooks. 

Crooks has been nearly as dominant as Baez at the Triple-A level. In 2026, the left-handed-hitting backstop has an OPS north of .900 and 13 home runs. The only Cardinal with 13 or more home runs on the big club? The aforementioned star, Waker. 

Velázquez, however, is the true key to the Baez treasure chest. Right now, the Cardinals have seemed unwilling to oust either Thomas Saggese or Victor Scott II from roles in the majors, both of whom have struggled perilously on offense. 

This being the case, Velázquez mans left field, Scott II/Fermin has played center, and Walker is the everyday starter in right. The outfield is a logjam. To call up Baez right now would be for the organization to shoot itself in the foot. 

Three reasons why Baez’s promotion can wait 

The first and most obvious reason for Baez to remain in Triple-A is the aforementioned logjam in the outfield. 

Until the Cardinals front office decides to cut bait on a player or two, there’s no need to clutter the roster. 

A prime example of this issue becoming an Achilles' heel to a talented team is the 2026 Boston Red Sox, Chaim Bloom’s former team. 

Bloom amassed so much talent in his tenure that the Sox ended up with about five different outfielders deserving of playing time. Instead of offloading specific pieces to add to other parts of the roster, their current front office hoarded talent and paid the price. This season, despite their obviously talented collective, the Red Sox are 25-33, in last place in their division. 

The second reason has a name: Lars Nootbaar. The fan favorite and World Baseball Classic legend has yet to make an appearance this season after double heel surgery. Recently, Nootbaar started a rehab assignment, and so far, so good. 

When Nootbaar returns, he’ll have to play. The reason being, St. Louis is in a bit of a Nootbaar bind. His trade value is at an all-time low due to recent injury history and lack of production. If he’s going to recoup any value ahead of July’s trade deadline, the Cardinals will have to play him every day. That’s likely to come in center field. That leaves your starting outfield as Walker (RF), Nootbaar (CF), and Velazquez/Chuch (LF). At this moment in time, the Cardinals seem unwilling to alienate any of those players from the big league roster. 

Finally, Baez, although excitingly powerful, is still an immature hitter. 

This season, the 22-year-old has a strikeout percentage of 31.2%. He pairs his high K rate with a lowly 8.1% walk rate. 

For comparison, his counterpart, Walker, sits at 24.4% and is in the bottom 30th percentile in baseball. Baez would immediately become one of MLB’s biggest "boom or bust" threats. Those kinds of prospects often flame out quickly when baseball adjusts, and with the otherworldly talent that Baez possesses, there’s no reason to pour cold water over his heater. 

Confidence plays as big a role in a player’s development as mechanics, information, and maturity. If Baez, with his huge strikeout famine, were to be made a big leaguer today, it could result in the next iteration of Nolan Gorman, who is absurdly talented but hasn’t been able to piece anything together in MLB. 

Baez has earned the excitement he’s bringing to fans in St. Louis. His ability to impact a baseball game on all three sides of the ball (offense, defense, and baserunning) is unrivaled in the Cardinals system. However, until he has a clear pathway to playing time and cuts down on the swing-and-miss, the Cardinals should be hesitant to pull the trigger. 

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