Joshua Baez: Everything you need to know

Baez homered twice for the second consecutive game at Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday. After going 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI on Tuesday, Baez cranked a solo home run and a two-run blast Wednesday. Baez has gone deep nine times in May to push his season total to 15, which is just five off his total from last year's breakout campaign. His strikeout rate has been elevated in 2026 at 32.7 percent, but Baez is slashing a healthy .251/.332/.552 with 11 stolen bases in addition to his 15 long balls. Baez has also made six of his last seven starts in center field, and it's at that position where he's likely to break into the big leagues.

Baez is slashing .233/.307/.487 with 10 home runs, seven stolen bases and a 34.3 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A Memphis this season. Baez homered for the third time in four games Friday and then wore the golden sombrero Saturday with strikeouts in all four of his plate appearances. It's a perfect microcosm of his season, as Baez is hitting for plenty of power but also swinging and missing a lot during his first stint in the Pacific Coast League. Cutting his strikeout rate to 20.6 percent between High-A and Double-A in 2025 was a major reason why Baez was able to break out, but his strikeout rate has regressed early on in 2026. Baez still has a chance to debut for the Cardinals at some point this season, but the club likely wants to see him get his whiffs under control first.

The Cardinals optioned Baez to Triple-A Memphis on Monday. Shortly after homering in his third straight Grapefruit League game, Baez is cut from big-league camp. The 22-year-old had a breakout 2025 season, hitting .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers and 54 stolen bases between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. If Baez is able to carry over that success into a hot start in 2026, he could push for a major-league debut sooner rather than later.