Cardinals Opening Day roster prediction with just 2 weeks remaining of camp

Outfield (4): Jordan Walker, Victor Scott II, Nathan Church, and Nelson Velsaquez

With Lars Nootbaar unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, the Cardinals have been searching for who will fill the void in left field to begin the year. One name that has gained a lot of fanfare is Joshua Baez.

The Cardinals optioned him to minor league camp this week, but not before he slugged three home runs in three consecutive games, catching the attention of both the Cardinals organization and fans alike. Chaim Bloom has been consistent in his messaging all offseason that Triple-A is a necessary proving ground for Baez, who has not yet appeared at the level, but his breakout 2025 campaign and strong camp seem to have him knocking on the door of a big league debut.

I did recently predict that Baez would be starting in the Cardinals' outfield by August on the Dealin' the Cards podcast, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's up in St. Louis sooner than that. The Cardinals will be patient with him, but the talent is real.

Nelson Velasquez has had a strong camp of his own thus far, but is facing an uphill battle as a non-roster invitee to camp. The Cardinals already need to open up a 40-man roster spot for JJ Wetherholt, so they would have to find another one as well to get Velasquez on the roster. While I haven't had him making the roster before, I did decide to have him make the cut today, as the power he brings to the outfield from the right side of the plate just isn't present elsewhere on the roster. If Velsaquez did make the roster, the Cardinals would face a tough decision between Saggese and Nathan Church.

Church wins out for me in this case, because I do believe the Cardinals really like him, and we've already heard rumblings that they see a bit of "Brendan Donovan-lite" in him. Not necessarily that they are the same kind of player or talent, but that he's the kind of guy who just keeps outproducing what prospect lists and general vibes around him say he can be. I think Nathan Church will have a strong claim to the starting outfield while Nootbaar is out, and he could even challenge Victor Scott II for the center field role at some point.

Jordan Walker, like Gomran, will be in the starting lineup on Opening Day, but how long the Cardinals give him to figure things out will be a story to watch. So far in camp, Walker continues to struggle with strikeouts and smacking the baseball right into the ground. He does have one option remaining, so the Cardinals could send him down to Memphis again this year for more work if needed.

Just missed: Lars Nootbaar (IL) and Joshua Baez