3 Cardinals players who aren't getting enough playing time

The St. Louis Cardinals have called up top infield prospect Thomas Saggese, but the corresponding move was to demote center fielder Victor Scott II to Triple-A Memphis. Initially, it looked like the Cardinals were punting on the season and giving the youngsters a chance to develop and earn a spot on the roster for next year, but with the news that Scott was headed back to Memphis contradict that notion. With a 0.5% chance to make the postseason according to FanGraphs, it seems less than prudent to make these kinds of moves.

The Cardinals need to prioritize the future and give their young players a shot to develop and prove themselves in the games they have left this season. Here are three Cardinals players who aren't getting enough playing time.

Luken Baker isn't getting enough playing time

In his brief stint back with the Cardinals in 2024, Luken Baker has been fantastic. Of course, it's an extremely small sample size, and the Cardinals would not be wise to pin their future hopes on Baker at first base, but it's extremely promising for his future role as a platoon first baseman or a right-handed bat off the bench next year. In just 20 at-bats, Baker has homered twice and recorded a slash line of .200/.379/.550 for an OPS+ of 156. It'll be hard to find reps for Luken Baker, as Paul Goldschmidt is starting every day at first base, and Alec Burleson is drawing most of the starts at DH with Jordan Walker back with the Cardinals.

However, it may be time to sit Goldschmidt more often and give Baker more chances against right-handed pitching. Luken Baker has already proven himself against lefties, but he has been abysmal against righties. The numbers at the Triple-A level seem to indicate the same pattern, so it would be smarter to platoon him against righties in must-win games, but the Cardinals season is lost. It would be better to see what they have by giving Baker more opportunities.

Ivan Herrera isn't getting enough playing time

Much like Michael Siani, Pedro Pages was brought in due to significant injuries and took over a highly important position. Pages played well enough for the team to stay in contention, but just like Siani, it's time for Pages to return to a bench role. It's true that Pages has been ridiculously good in the clutch, with many special moments throughout his limited run, but overall he's been below league average.

He's had fine offensive production for the catcher position, but Ivan Herrera has much more potential as a backup to Willson Contreras. With Contreras out again, Herrera should've been the one taking over as the primary starter, but instead he's been relegated to a platoon bat against left-handed pitching while Pages draws the majority of starts behind the dish.

Pages' defensive numbers, while better than Herrera's, are a bit overstated. His framing numbers have dipped a bit, and he's not much better at throwing out baserunners compared to Ivan Herrera. Pages is by far the superior defender compared to Herrera, but it's not good enough to warrant starting him over Herrera every day. Herrera's offensive potential is much stronger than Pages', and with the season lost, it's more important to give the limited amount of reps to the player with the higher ceiling going forward.

Once again, it looks like the Cardinals are mismanaging a bat-first catcher due to their less-than-stellar defense. Even if the Cardinals don't see Herrera as a long-term solution as a backup catcher going forward, benching him for this stretch decreases his potential trade value. Ivan Herrera will certainly use the offseason to improve as a catcher, but not allowing him to start over Pedro Pages in the present moment is quite wasteful.