Cardinals May Have Unlocked Something Special in Thomas Saggese

Sep 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese (25) fields a ground ball against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cardinals May Have Unlocked Something Special in Thomas Saggese

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 16, 2026 2:00 PM ET

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The St. Louis Cardinals have been giving Thomas Saggese more playing time as of late, and he is making the most of it. The 24-year-old is hitting .389/.426/.611 with three home runs and eight RBI in his last 15 games.

The Cardinals have been using him at second base with JJ Wetherholt missing time. With Wetherholt back now, the Cardinals are going to have to find a different role for Saggese. Fortunately, third base is open with Blaze Jordan on the injured list.

Former Cardinal Lance Lynn believes that Saggese needs to play every day for St. Louis, and he even gave him a solid comparison to one of the top players on the team.

"If he can play four positions, we can get him in the lineup seven days," Lynn said. "The number one thing we've seen is, when he gets to play, he hits. I think we're looking at a right-handed (Alec) Burleson, and a situation where the more he gets to play, the more you like about him."

Cardinals might have something special with Saggese

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

St. Louis acquired Saggese in 2023 from the Texas Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery deal. He had yet to find his footing over the first two seasons of his career, but the utility man seems to have finally unlocked something.

Third base is a position that needs to be figured out with Nolan Arenado now gone. Saggese is more than capable of playing third base and could be the guy that inherits the position. He can also play left field, as well as all three other infield positions, so there are a lot of options for the Cardinals to pursue with Saggese as they look for his long-term role.

The Cardinals also have had a logjam of left-handed bats over the years, so having a right-handed bat in the mix that can play multiple positions would be beneficial for the Cardinals as they look towards the future and assess what they have on their roster and in their system.

Perhaps now is the time for Saggese to stick in the big leagues and become the player the Cardinals hoped they were getting in the Montgomery deal. There's a lot to like about his bat and his versatility, so there are a lot of good reasons to keep him around and hope that he can be a part of the next core in St. Louis.

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

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