St. Louis Cardinals News

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Joshua Baez • RF • Cardinals

Cardinals Send Joshua Baez to Minor-League Camp

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday that they sent outfield prospect Joshua Baez to minor-league camp. Baez homered in three straight Grapefruit League games, but he'll begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Memphis after hitting .287/.384/.500 with an .884 OPS, 20 home runs, 79 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 54 stolen bases in 495 plate appearances over 117 games at High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. Sixteen of his 20 long balls came at Double-A in 79 games played. The power/speed is obvious here for Baez, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Cardinals' No. 4 prospect. He's the No. 87 overall prospect in MLB entering the 2026 season. If Baez performs well early on at Memphis, he'll most likely make his MLB debut at some point this year. There is 30-30 potential for the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder who was drafted in the second round in 2021. Baez's best path to playing time in St. Louis will be in right field. He's firmly back on the dynasty/keeper radar.

Yesterday

Joshua Baez • RF • Cardinals

Joshua Baez Impressing in Spring Training, to Contend for Early Debut?

St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Joshua Baez is making a strong impression early in camp and could contend for a much-earlier-than-expected MLB debut. Through nine games, the team's No. 4-ranked prospect has posted a strong .333/.429/.667 slash line with two home runs and one stolen base. Last summer, Baez spent time at High-A and Double-A. While he has yet to step foot onto a Triple-A diamond, he may continue to make a strong case to join the MLB roster early in the 2026 season. At High-A, he held a .317/.404/.483 line with four home runs and 20 stolen bases over 38 games. Over his first stint at Double-A (79 games), the 22-year-old held a .271/.374/.509 line 16 home runs and seven stolen bases. Given his five-category profile, he is a top prospect to monitor in deep five-outfielder formats.

2 days ago

Nelson Velázquez • RF • Cardinals

Nelson Velazquez Could Get Increased Reps

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nelson Velazquez appears to have a legitimate chance at landing a spot on the 26-man roster. The Cardinals are looking for an option in left field with Lars Nootbaar (heels) still sidelined. Nootbaar is still recovering from surgery on his heels, so it doesn't sound like he'll be ready for Opening Day. Velazquez has looked good at the plate during his six Grapefruit League games. He's looking to rebound after posting a .200/.274/.366 slash line with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 64 games with the Kansas City Royals last season. He joined the Cardinals as a non-roster invitee, so they'd need to drop someone off the 40-man roster to keep Velazquez for Opening Day. Nathan Church and Thomas Saggese are also competing for the starting left field gig. The Cardinals lineup could use a slugger from the right side, such as Velazquez, but we'll see if he can earn the spot.

2 days ago

J.J. Wetherholt • SS • Cardinals

Is JJ Wetherholt Already the Best Cardinals Hitter?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold told ESPN 101 St. Louis that he thinks shortstop prospect JJ Wetherholt "might be the best hitter in camp." Goold adds that Wetherholt is a "very polished," accomplished hitter with power that will "catch you by surprise." The 23-year-old former seventh overall pick in 2024 out of West Virginia has a mature approach at the plate for his age and appears to be the real deal. Barring something unforeseen, it's looking like he will break camp with the MLB roster and be in line for a starting spot on the infield to begin the 2026 regular season. So far through seven Grapefruit League games, Wetherholt has gone 4-for-12 (.333) with a homer, four RBI, five runs, a steal, seven walks, and only three strikeouts in 19 plate appearances. His ADP should continue to rise this spring as the third-best middle-infield prospect in 2026, behind only Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle.

5 days ago

Masyn Winn • SS • Cardinals

Masyn Winn Sits Out on Monday Due to Arm Soreness

The St. Louis Cardinals are holding shortstop Masyn Winn (arm) out of the Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the Miami Marlins due to right-arm soreness, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Manager Oliver Marmol said that Winn is "fine" and that his soreness is the result of a "heavy" workload on Sunday. The 23-year-old is expected to return to spring training action later this week on Thursday or Friday, but he could also play in an exhibition game on Wednesday against Team Nicaragua. Through four Grapefruit League games, Winn has gone 2-for-8 at the plate with a stolen base. A knee injury that eventually required meniscus surgery last year may have been to blame for his disappointing offensive numbers. He had a .253/.310/.363 slash line .673 OPS, nine homers, 51 RBI, and nine steals in 129 games. Winn could bounce back some with better health, but with middling power and speed, there's limited upside here. He profiles better as a middle-infield option in mixed fantasy leagues.

Mar 2

J.J. Wetherholt • SS • Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt Homers for First Spring Hit

St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect JJ Wetherholt homered for his first spring training hit in Friday's Grapefruit League game versus the New York Mets. Per MLB Pipeline, Wetherhold is the No. 5 prospect going into the 2026 season. The home run he hit on Friday traveled 422 feet and had a 105.4 mph exit velocity. The bomb came off Mets closer Devin Williams. The 23-year-old has only one hit in his four spring training games, but he's added four walks and a stolen base. Wetherholt came up through the minors as a shortstop, but he's expected to be St. Louis' starting second baseman on Opening Day this year. The former seventh overall pick in 2024 hit an impressive .306 with a .421 on-base percentage, 17 home runs, and 23 stolen bases in 109 games at Double-A and Triple-A last year. Wetherholt has nothing left to prove in the minors and should eventually be a middle infielder with 20-homer power.

Feb 28

Alec Burleson • 1B • Cardinals

Alec Burleson Carries a Safe Production Floor Heading into 2026

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson had a rock-solid season in 2025, hitting .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs, 69 RBI, 54 runs scored, and five stolen bases across 546 plate appearances. The 27-year-old upped his barrel rate from 6.5% in 2024 to 9.8% in 2025 while still limiting his swing-and-miss and posting a 14.5% strikeout rate. The lefty-swinging Burleson has been limited to big-side platoon duties at certain points in his Cardinals' tenure, but that does not appear as though it will be an issue in 2026. St. Louis traded veteran first baseman Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox over the offseason, opening the door for everyday first base duties to Burleson. Burleson's underlying power metrics are more good than great, so he may not provide fantasy managers with 30-home run power. However, he's a good bet to be one of the better batting average assets at his position and could be a player worth targeting in the middle rounds of drafts heading into 2026.

Feb 28

Nathan Church • LF • Cardinals

Nathan Church a Name to Closely Monitor in Spring Training

St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Nathan Church went deep in his spring debut over the weekend and is a name to follow amid the team's current outfield depth. With starting left fielder Lars Nootbaar (heel) expected to miss the start of the season, Church could claim a starting role with a productive showing in camp. Last summer, the 25-year-old made his MLB debut but did not find much success over his first stint, holding a .179/.254/.250 line with a double and a home run across 27 games. However, at Triple-A, Church showcased his five-category profile, which makes him an intriguing sleeper for deeper formats in 2026. Through his lone 53-game stint at Triple-A, Church posted an impressive .335/.400/.521 line with seven home runs and nine stolen bases. If he continues to hit for power in camp, he could be worth a late-round pick in deep 15-team formats.

Feb 25

J.J. Wetherholt • SS • Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt Playing Second, Batting Fifth in Grapefruit League Opener

St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect JJ Wetherholt is starting at second base and batting fifth on Saturday in the team's Grapefruit League opener against the Washington Nationals, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News. The offseason trades of both Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan have cleared a path for Wetherholt to be an everyday player on the infield for St. Louis in 2026, and he's expected to be their Opening Day second baseman. The 23-year-old is the No. 5 overall prospect in the game, per MLB Pipeline, after hitting .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 109 games last year with Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. The former seventh overall pick in 2024 doesn't have an obvious weakness at the plate, although in his first big-league season, fantasy managers should temper expectations for his power and speed. Still, Wetherholt can hit 15-plus homers right away as St. Louis' starting second baseman.

Feb 21

Ramón Urías • 3B • Cardinals

Ramon Urias Agrees on One-Year Deal With Cardinals

Free-agent infielder Ramon Urias is in agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year, $2 million contract on Saturday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Urias will have a $1.5 million salary in 2026 with a $500,000 buyout on a 2027 mutual option. The deal also includes $2 million in incentives based on plate appearances. The 31-year-old veteran will give the Cardinals infield depth behind JJ Wetherholt at second base and Nolan Gorman at third base this year. The Mexican infielder is coming off one of his worst offensive seasons, slashing .241/.292/.384 with a .675 OPS, 11 home runs, 44 RBI, 33 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 112 total games played with the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros. Urias is mostly valuable for his glove and doesn't offer much of a skill set for fantasy managers. You can avoid him in all mixed leagues in 2026.

Feb 21

J.J. Wetherholt • SS • Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt an Option to Bat Leadoff for Cardinals?

As part of a wide-ranging discussion about lineup construction with St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol on Friday, the Belleville News' Jeff Jones reports that shortstop prospect JJ Wetherholt's name was "bandied about as an option at leadoff." It's looking more likely that Wetherholt will not only be on the team's Opening Day roster, but he could potentially be at the top of the batting order. After the offseason trades of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan, the 23-year-old has a clear path to the second base job, with Nolan Gorman moving to third base. MLB Pipeline's No. 5 overall prospect slashed a strong .306/.421/.510 with 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 109 games at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis last year. Wetherholt has never been a big power bat, but he can easily hit 15 homers in his first year in the big leagues.

Feb 20

Riley O'Brien • RP • Cardinals

Riley O'Brien to be Shut Down for a Few Days, Expected to Miss WBC

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that right-handed reliever Riley O'Brien (calf) will be shut down for the next few days, and it will take a couple of weeks for him to ramp up, according to Brian Murphy of MLB.com. O'Brien is expected to miss the upcoming World Baseball Classic for Team South Korea, but he can always be added back to the roster, depending on his recovery from what is being called a mild right-calf strain. The 31-year-old veteran still has plenty of time to get himself right before Opening Day in late March, but if he has any further setbacks, his availability could be in question. O'Brien is in the mix for saves in St. Louis in 2026 after he posted a sharp 2.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, his first six career saves, 45 K's, and 22 walks in a career-high 48 innings last year. He'll primarily be competing for save opps at the back end of the Cards' bullpen with JoJo Romero and Matt Svanson.

Feb 20

Lars Nootbaar • LF • Cardinals

Lars Nootbaar Slowly Progressing

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (heels) still has no timeline for a return to full baseball activities, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News. Nootbaar has been able to hit and throw, but he's just now moving into being able to run without assistance. The 28-year-old will continue to run on an anti-gravity treadmill in camp after having surgery in early October on both of his heels to address deformities. The Cardinals are unlikely to rush Nootbaar, so the expectation is that he will not be ready to go on Opening Day in late March. Nootbaar played a career-high 135 games in 2025 and disappointed offensively, slashing .234/.325/.361 with a career-worst .686 OPS, 13 homers, 48 RBI, 68 runs, and four steals in 583 plate appearances. His batted-ball metrics have always teased more -- he had a career-best 50% hard-hit rate and 10.2% barrel rate in 2025 -- but he's rarely been healthy and has yet to put it all together. Nootbaar needs to get healthy and finally break through to jump into the top-100 outfield rankings.

Feb 18

Hunter Dobbins • SP • Cardinals

Hunter Dobbins Hopes to be Cleared for Baseball Activities

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins (knee) was scheduled to visit with a doctor on Wednesday and is hoping to be fully cleared for baseball activities in spring training, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dobbins is throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice in camp, but he hasn't been able to field his position or do any running after having surgery on his right ACL last July. The 26-year-old could be on track to make some appearances in Grapefruit League games for his new team, but whether he'll be ready for Opening Day in late March is another question. The fact that Dobbins has yet to be fully cleared for baseball activities certainly isn't a good sign. For fantasy purposes, the former eighth-rounder doesn't have much long-term appeal with limited strikeout upside. In his 13 outings (11 starts) for Boston last year in his first MLB season, Dobbins had a 4.13 ERA (3.87 FIP) and 1.28 WHIP with 45 K's and 17 walks in 61 innings.

Feb 18

Riley O'Brien • RP • Cardinals

Riley O'Brien Dealing With Calf Soreness

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Riley O'Brien (calf) is dealing with some calf soreness in camp, according to Jeff Jones of The Belleville News. The Cardinals are now discussing what it means for O'Brien's participation in this year's World Baseball Classic for Team South Korea. The 31-year-old will be in the mix for saves in St. Louis in 2026 with JoJo Romero as long as he's healthy. In his second year in St. Louis in 2025, O'Brien was hard to hit, posting a 2.06 ERA (1.15 WHIP), his first six career saves, a career-high 45 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 48 innings over 42 appearances out of the bullpen. It was his first extended look in the big leagues, and he did not disappoint. O'Brien struck out only 22.6% of the batters he faced, though, and also had an elevated 11.1% walk rate for a high-leverage arm, so there will be plenty of volatility and risk for a pitcher who has never held down the closer's role for an entire season.

Feb 17

Nolan Gorman • 2B • Cardinals |

J.J. Wetherholt • SS • Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt is at Second Base, Nolan Gorman Getting Reps at Third

St. Louis Cardinals infielders JJ Wetherholt and Nolan Gorman could be stationed at new primary positions in 2026. As of this weekend, Wetherholt is playing second base, while Gorman is taking reps at third base. Wetherholt has yet to make his MLB debut, but he should be in St. Louis soon. He has primarily been playing shortstop, but has seen some action at second base. It looks like the Cardinals would like Wetherholt to take over second base with the team trading Brendan Donovan this offseason. As for Gorman, he came up as a second baseman, but has been transitioning to the hot corner. He played a career-high 54 games over there last season. Nolan Arenado has been traded, so the spot is open full-time for Gorman. The Cardinals will likely move them around, but offseason trades have given these two players a chance to play full-time infield positions.

Feb 15

Yohel Pozo • C • Cardinals

Yohel Pozo Drops Significant Weight Heading into 2026 Season

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo announced on his X account that he has dropped 33 pounds since last season. The 28-year-old Venezuelan will be battling for a big-league roster spot in spring training after he hit .231/.262/.375 with a .637 OPS, five home runs, 19 RBI, and 16 runs scored in 67 games in his first year with the Cardinals last season. St. Louis non-tendered him in the offseason before he re-signed with the club on a split contract. Pozo is obviously in much better shape this year, but he still has plenty of work to do with Ivan Herrera (elbow) and Pedro Pages ahead of him on the catching depth chart. He'll also have to beat out Jimmy Crooks to avoid starting the year at Triple-A Memphis. Pozo's 2025 campaign started well with a .312 average and four homers in his first 38 games, but he went 8-for-67 in the second half and also missed time with a concussion. For now, fantasy managers can avoid Pozo in all formats.

Feb 13

Jordan Walker • RF • Cardinals

Jordan Walker to Run More in 2026?

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that he thinks outfielder Jordan Walker could steal more bases in 2026, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It might be a make-or-break year for Walker, who has stolen only 18 bases in 279 games in his first three seasons in the big leagues. The former first-rounder is surprisingly fast despite standing 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, and the Cardinals could give him more opportunities to run this year. The 23-year-old is still young, but so far, he's been a bust at the major-league level, slashing .240/.302/.378 with a .680 OPS, 27 home runs, 112 RBI, 107 runs, and a 26.9% strikeout rate. Walker's 66 wRC+ in 2025 ranked 270th out of 277 qualifying hitters, although he did make loud contact along the way. There have been positive reports about Walker's swing changes this offseason. Taking a chance on Walker will be cheap if you're hoping for a post-hype breakout.

Feb 12

Lars Nootbaar • LF • Cardinals

Lars Nootbaar Will be Delayed in Reporting to Camp

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (heels) will be a couple of days delayed in reporting to camp due to his rehab, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News. Nootbaar is in a spot in his progression where he's running on an altered-gravity treadmill, and the Cardinals have not had one delivered yet to their spring training facilities. The 28-year-old had surgery on both of his heels in early October of last year. We should have a better idea of Nootbaar's timetable for a return when he reports to camp, but as of now, it's looking likely that he won't be ready for Opening Day in late March. In addition to playing through heel issues, Nootbaar missed three weeks with a rib-cage injury and finished with a mediocre .234/.325/.361 slash line, career-low .686 OPS, 13 homers, and 48 RBI in 135 games. Nootbaar has teased fantasy managers with his batted-ball metrics, but his health has not cooperated.

Feb 12

Bryan Ramos • 3B • Cardinals

Cardinals Claim Bryan Ramos Off Waivers From Orioles

The St. Louis Cardinals claimed third baseman Bryan Ramos off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, sources told Francys Romero. The Cuban infielder was designated for assignment two days ago by the Orioles, and he'll now head to the National League Central. The Orioles acquired Ramos in a trade with the Chicago White Sox last Sunday. The 23-year-old infielder only appeared in four games with the White Sox last year, going 2-for-12 with two RBI and four strikeouts. In his MLB debut in 2024, he went 20-for-99 (.202) with three homers, 11 RBI, seven walks, and 22 strikeouts in 32 games played. At Triple-A Charlotte last year, Ramos slashed .216/.309/.396, although he did manage to pop 16 home runs and steal 13 bases. There's still time for Ramos to develop, but as of right now, he's most likely to start the 2026 season at Triple-A Memphis as infield depth for the Red Birds.

Feb 6

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