Joshua Báez has been called up to the Major Leagues by the St. Louis Cardinals, adding a power bat to the roster as the regular season winds down. The move was reported Friday by Mike Rodriguez on X and later confirmed by Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
Báez arrives after a big minor league season in which he hit 34 home runs and drove in 90 runs. That production helps explain why the Cardinals decided to give their No. 3 prospect a look at the big league level now, even with only 44 days left in the regular season.
Why the move matters
The timing is important because the Cardinals' rookie-status threshold has already passed. Under that rule, a player cannot come up and spend more than 45 days on the active roster in the regular season and still keep rookie status for the following year. If a player does not appear on a big league roster for more than 45 days, they maintain rookie status next season unless they reach 130 or more at-bats or pitch in 50 or more innings.
With the Cardinals scheduled to play their final game on Sep. 27, there is only a short window left for Báez to get into games and contribute. That makes this less about a long audition and more about giving the club another high-power outfield option for the stretch run.
What comes next
It is not yet clear how much playing time Báez will get, but his minor league power production gives the Cardinals an obvious reason to keep him close. For a team looking to evaluate young talent before the season ends, Báez's promotion is one of the more straightforward roster calls they could make.
