The St. Louis Cardinals will try to halt a five-game slide Thursday afternoon when they close their series against the Baltimore Orioles at Busch Stadium.
Manager Oliver Marmol has made a notable change in the outfield, returning rookie Joshua Báez to the starting lineup after he sat out Wednesday’s 8-7 loss.
Báez will bat fifth and patrol left field. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter had been held out against Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish, a decision that gave Bryan Torres a start.
With left-hander Trevor Rogers scheduled for Baltimore, Báez is back in the mix. José Fermín will lead off at shortstop, followed by Iván Herrera at designated hitter, Jordan Walker in right, Alec Burleson at first, Báez, Blaze Jordan at third, Ramón Urías at second, Nathan Church in center and Pedro Pagés behind the plate. Gordon Graceffo gets the ball for St. Louis.
Báez’s major-league introduction remains one of the more memorable debuts of the 2026 season. Recalled from Triple-A Memphis on August 15, he launched three home runs in his first game at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.
That outburst immediately put the Boston native on the map. In the 12 games since, however, the power has been accompanied by inconsistency.
He has four home runs and nine RBI but is hitting just .146 with 17 strikeouts in 41 at-bats. The contact issues have been especially noticeable against right-handed pitching.
Those struggles stand in contrast to the production he showed in the minors. Over 103 games with the Memphis Redbirds this year, Báez slugged 34 home runs and drove in 90 runs while batting .256. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound outfielder possesses the raw strength that organizations covet, even if the hit tool is still catching up at the big-league level.
The Cardinals sit at 66-68 and have dropped five in a row. A win Thursday would at least prevent a series sweep and offer a small measure of momentum before Pittsburgh arrives this weekend.
For Báez, another start represents a chance to show that the three-homer explosion was more than a one-day highlight. Facing a left-handed starter gives him a more favorable matchup than the one he sat out a day earlier.
Whether the bat comes around in time to help a Cardinals club still hovering near .500 remains the larger question.
What is clear is that the organization is willing to keep giving the young outfielder opportunities. Thursday’s lineup card confirms he is still part of the plan.
