Cardinals Option Báez to Memphis After He Homers in Final Spring Game
Báez homered 416 feet off Nestor German, then was optioned to Memphis hours later, closing a three-game spring streak with a 1.179 OPS.
Joshua Báez pulled a seventh-inning slider from Baltimore Orioles right-hander Nestor German 416 feet to left field at an exit velocity of 109.4 mph, completing a three-game Grapefruit League home run streak. Hours later, the Cardinals optioned him to Triple-A Memphis.
The timing carried an unmistakable irony. Báez had homered on Friday and Saturday before returning from a day off to deliver his most authoritative swing of the spring against German. He finished Monday's game 1-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Across 10 spring games, he went 7-for-21 with three home runs, five RBIs, a stolen base and 16 total bases, producing a 1.179 OPS. He was one of four Cardinals players on the 40-man roster optioned to Triple-A Memphis after the game.
The move was expected. Báez, a Boston native and right fielder, had never played a game in Triple-A before this assignment, making an opening-day roster spot unrealistic regardless of his spring numbers. He excelled in 79 games at Double-A last season, and the Cardinals added him to their 40-man roster in November. That combination of experience and organizational investment frames the Memphis assignment as a development step rather than a setback.
The spring nonetheless confirmed a rapid rise. Entering 2025, Báez was unranked on MLB Pipeline's St. Louis organizational top-prospect list. He now sits at No. 4. Baseball America noted that as a 40-man roster member, Báez will have a path to his MLB debut this season if he produces in the International League.
The Cardinals' outfield situation on the major-league roster will also factor into his timeline. If a starter struggles, Báez, who heads to Memphis under Chaim Bloom's development process, figures to be among the first names St. Louis considers for a call-up.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
