Cardinals Make Season-Ending Decision on Joshua Báez

The move, although disappointing for Cardinals fans, ends the season for their prized young slugger with only eight games remaining.

Báez wasted no time making MLB history in his first game on Aug. 15, becoming the first player to ever hit a home run in each of his first three career at-bats.

His elite power, evident in Báez’s 34 home runs over 103 games with Triple-A Memphis before his major league call-up in mid-August, lived up to expectations, if not exceeded them.

In 29 games with St. Louis, Báez hit seven home runs with 18 RBI, while posting a .510 slugging percentage over 100 at-bats. That power is undeniable, but it hasn’t been consistent. Báez’s .230 batting average and .278 on-base percentage, along with 33 strikeouts against just four walks, offer room for improvement.

However, Báez’s exciting first run in the majors has fueled optimism about the numbers he can post over a full season.

For a Cardinals team that entered 2026 with low expectations, St. Louis has exceeded them despite being eliminated from playoff contention on Friday.

The Cardinals have seen several players break out, including Jordan Walker, who has enjoyed one of baseball’s biggest turnarounds in recent memory, and Alec Burleson, who leads all of baseball with 111 RBI.

On top of that, several of the organization’s top prospects, including Báez, have found early success at the major league level.

St. Louis’ No. 4 prospect Leo Bernal is hitting .323 over 16 games since being called up on Sept. 1, while Quinn Matthews (No. 8) has posted a respectable 3.62 ERA over seven starts and 37.1 innings.

The future looks bright for the Cardinals, and they will look to break a four-year postseason drought next season.

St. Louis (75-79) continues its series with the Washington Nationals on Saturday at 7:15 pm ET.

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