Aug 8, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Caridnals guest coach Yadier Molina (4) talks with third baseman Thomas Saggese (25) and catcher Pedro Pages (43) during the eighth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Predicted To Demote Struggling Young Infielder This Month

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 3:05 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have put together a solid season thus far, but there are still roster moves to be made over the next few weeks before the year ends.

One of the biggest decisions the Cardinals will need to make revolves around the team's top prospects JJ Wetherholt, Tink Hence, Quinn Mathews, and others. These players are seemingly ready for their big league call ups and the Cardinals could use the last month of the season to get their feet wet.

But if they do this, the Cardinals will face a roster crunch that could see some big leaguers off the roster.

FanSided's Zachary Rotman recently suggested the Cardinals would demote top infield prospect Thomas Saggese at some point in the next few weeks, considering the young infielder hasn't been dominant at the big league level.

Thomas Saggese is likely heading back to Triple-A in the near future

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Cardinals fans wanted to see Thomas Saggese get consistent playing time at the big league level this season, but Arenado sticking around complicated that, and when he's gotten the chance to play, he hasn't done much to take advantage of those opportunities," Rotman wrote. "Saggese is slashing .241/.282/.336 with one home run and 10 RBI in 40 games overall for St. Louis this season.

"It'd be nice to see him get extended run, but is that really going to happen? Arenado's injury has opened up some time for him to play right now, but he'll probably be back before September. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt is on the cusp of being big-league ready and will receive regular playing time if the Cardinals give him a chance in the majors this season."

Saggese's time in the big leagues is likely determined by Nolan Arenado and his injury this year. Arenado has always been an iron man, but he's fought an injury as of late and sits on the injured list because of it.

If Arenado remains injured, the Cardinals will likely continue to stick with Saggese at the big league level, but if the veteran third baseman is able to return, optioning Saggese back to Triple-A makes sense.

At the end of the day, the most important thing with Saggese is getting him consistent at-bats and playing time. If it's possible to do in St. Louis, that would be the best case scenario. But if the Cardinals need to demote him to Triple-A to get every day at-bats, then that's what they're likely to do.

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

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