Scalding-hot former top prospect set to make debut for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals head to Cincinnati today for a four-game series against the NL Central rival Reds and will be doing so with a little extra firepower on their roster. After yesterday's game against the Brewers, it was announced that the Cardinals were calling up former top prospect Jose Barrero and optioning rookie infielder Thomas Saggese down to Memphis.

The Cardinals are calling up former top prospect Jose Barrero before the series against his former team

At the time of this promotion, Barrero was scalding hot at the plate, reaching base in 19 consecutive games and demonstrating plenty of speed and slug that made him a well-regarded prospect when he signed out of Cuba. Barrero was signed by the Reds (revenge series incoming) as a 19-year-old prospect who had an intriguing blend of power and speed and was an above-average infielder at multiple positions, primarily shortstop. In his first two seasons of professional baseball, he held his own at the lower level of the minors, hitting .261 with 14 homers and 108 RBIs and stealing 28 bases in 2018 and 2019 combined.

He was expected to progress to the upper levels of the minors, but COVID canceled the under-level seasons, so the Reds opted to promote Barrero to the big league club and fill the everyday shortstop spot on the roster. As a 22-year-old with only two seasons of A-level play, Barrero unsurprisingly struggled when he hit .194 with no extra-base hits and 26 strikeouts in his first 24 big-league games. When the minor league seasons began again, Barrero regained his former top prospect form when he hit a combined .303 with 19 homers and 16 stolen bases between Double-A and Triple-A, but still struggled with big league pitching, hitting .200 in 21 games with the Reds.

The next two seasons were much the same for the infielder, as he went up and down between the majors and minors, putting up decent numbers at the lower levels and failing to put it together with Cincinnati. After struggling again in 2023, the Reds attempted to move him to the outfield before eventually placing him on waivers in the offseason, when he was picked up by the Texas Rangers. After a down season with Triple-A, Barrero opted for free agency where the Cardinals scooped him up as a reclamation project and depth piece who could fill multiple spots.

This move has panned out well for the Cardinals' development system, as Barrero hit well in Spring Training but ultimately lost out on a roster spot to receive regular playing time with Triple-A Memphis. As he has done in his minor league career, Barrero was a standout performer with Memphis and was on a 19-game on-base streak at the time of his promotion to the big league club. On the year, Barrero is hitting .299 with five doubles, a triple, four homers, 14 RBIs, and five stolen bases while filling in at shortstop, third base and center field.

With Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Gorman all healthy and guaranteed plenty of playing time with the Cardinals, it remains to be seen what role Barrero will play with St. Louis and how long he will be in the majors. It would be nice to see him get at least a few opportunities against his former team and hopefully spark something in the Cardinals' offense as they continue a long stretch of games without an off day. The Cardinals need to clear up a 40-man spot for Barrero, but a move has yet to be announced.