Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Cardinals Announce No. 4 Prospect MiLB Promotion

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 8:02 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals recently promoted No. 6 prospect catcher Jimmy Crooks up to the big leagues and made another catcher prospect move on Thursday.

This time, it was with No. 4 prospect Rainiel Rodriguez, although he's still a ways away from the big leagues. The Cardinals announced that they were promoting Rodriguez from the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals to the High-A Peoria Chiefs.

"C Rainiel Rodriguez has been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Peoria (A+)," the Cardinals announced. "C Heriberto Caraballo has been transferred from the FCL to Palm Beach. RHP Leonel Sequera (A) has been placed on the Development List."

The Cardinals announced the promotion on Thursday

Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

He burst onto the scene as well in High-A on Thursday with three base hits, as shared by MLB.com's Jesse Borek.

"Rainiel Rodriguez, C, Peoria (STL No. 4/MLB No. 95)," Borek said. "An exemplary debut season stateside just keeps on getting better for the 18-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Rodriguez collected three hits and four RBIs in his first game for High-A Peoria, his third time plating at least four runs over the past 10 days. It’s been an otherworldly heater for Rodriguez, who posted a 1.018 OPS in August with 49 total bases in 22 games. He leads all qualified Cardinals Minor Leaguers with a 166 wRC+ this season and his 20 homers are the most among any player suiting up for their age-18 campaign."

Rodriguez is just 18 years old and already is a very interesting prospect for Cardinals fans to follow. He is a few years away from the big leagues, but he has put on a show down in the minors this season. In 81 total games, he's slashing .280/.407/.567 with 20 home runs, 63 RBIs, 21 doubles, and 58 runs scored while playing one of the most difficult positions in the sport at catcher. Also, he's still so young. He's a high school-aged kid, and yet he is thriving against professional pitching. That's why fans should be very excited right now as he continues to work his way through the system.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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