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This effectively ends his season. Báez hit .230/.278/.510 with seven homers and two stolen bases in 29 games with the Cardinals, including an electric three-homer debut at Wrigley Field. The 23-year-old will likely be in the Cardinals plans for 2027 in left field or at designated hitter. The power and speed he showcased will make him a popular fantasy sleeper even despite the sub-par batting average.

The major concern here is that any sort of oblique issue would be season-ending. Báez went 0-for-4 at the dish before being removed from the contest in the 10th inning. The 23-year-old top prospect’s all-or-nothing offensive approach has resulted in a respectable .230 batting average with seven homers, 18 RBI and two steals through 29 games. He’s also struck out 33 times in 100 at-bats. He’ll undergo further evaluation to determine whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list.

The 23-year-old slugger smacked an RBI single in the third inning that gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead that they would never surrender. He then delivered an RBI double in the fifth inning and scored on an RBI double off the bat of Leo Bernal. He also doubled in the seventh inning and was once again driven in by Bernal. With his three-hit attack, Báez is now slashing .261/.313/.580 to go with seven home runs, 18 RBI and two stolen bases in his first 96 plate appearances.

Báez’ home run was his seventh of the season. He hit a solo shot off Mason Adams in the second inning. Báez is now 8-for-21 (.380) with three home runs and six RBI over his last seven games. He’s hitting .229 with an .872 OPS and 15 RBI in his first taste of the major leagues. Báez’ tools are loud enough to put up with the strikeouts and low average.

Thank goodness we don’t get to miss out on Báez at Coors. He had sat in favor of Bryan Torres the last two times the Cardinals faced righties. Torres is still in the lineup tonight, but he’s playing second base over José Fermin.

Báez takes a seat against Dodgers workhorse Yoshinobu Yamamoto after blasting a solo homer off lefty Justin Wrobleski during Tuesday’s blowout win in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old top prospect has struck out just over 36 percent of the time, while also homering six times, in 63 plate appearances over 17 games since being called up last month. He’s a bit of an all-or-nothing fantasy contributor at this early stage of his big-league career. He’ll probably be back in there to face lefty ace Tarik Skubal Thursday’s series finale.

It’s the second time this week that the 23-year-old slugger has been held out of the Cardinals’ lineup. While he has shown his prodigious power with five home runs in his first 53 at-bats, he has done so while slashing a troublesome .170/.224/.491 with a 22/3 K/BB ratio over 58 plate appearances. Bryan Torres will start in his place in left field and will bat leadoff for the Cardinals against Pirates’ right-hander Braxton Ashcraft.

Baez is hitting .083 (3-for-36) with one homer, four RBI and two steals in 10 games since launching three homers in his sublime major-league debut earlier this month. He’s also struck out a whopping 16 times during that span. The 23-year-old projects as a streaky power hitter for fantasy purposes and he’s been mostly cold of late, which makes it challenging to keep him rostered in shallow mixed leagues.

Báez probably won’t be hit for often, but the Cardinals had Alec Burleson, who was getting a rare night off, replace him in the eighth. Báez homered off Jesús Luzardo in his first at-bat tonight to snap a 1-for-22 skid since he homered in his first three at-bats as a major leaguer. He has a fun .179/.273/.607 line to date.

Báez was on the bench for this one as he was 0-for-18 following his three-homer debut. He singled and walked while stealing two bases. Báez swiped 54 in the minors last year and had 21 at Triple-A this season before he was called up this past weekend. The strikeout rate will lead to a volatile performance from here on out, but expect the homers and steals to trickle in.

The prototypical hot-and-cold slugging prospect, Báez has gone 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts across four games since blasting three homers in his big-league debut last weekend. The 23-year-old top prospect isn’t exactly an all-or-nothing free-swinger, but he’s going to strike out at least a quarter of the time as he acclimates to everyday life in the majors. The central question for fantasy managers is whether he can do enough damage when he’s on a hot streak to justify riding out the cold spells. He’s one of the more intriguing long-term fantasy prospects in the game, but there might be some initial turbulence as he faces big-league arms for the first time.

Báez, who hit fifth in his first two major league games, figures to return to the middle of the order for the nightcap.

After arguably the best debut for any MLB hitter in the history of the sport, Báez was given an unfriendly reminder of how difficult it can be. It would have been fun to see him follow up his historic three-homer game with a similar effort, but it wouldn’t have been very realistic. Expect to see some similar games for Báez over these final few weeks, but with some efforts similar to that first contest as well.

Báez, hitting fifth in his major league debut, took the first pitch he saw deep to center field for a solo homer off Matthew Boyd. Leading off the top of the fourth, he terrorized Boyd once again with a homer to left field. Things got ridiculous in the sixth, as he sent one over the right-field wall for his third home run of the game, making him the first player to ever homer three times in their debut. Already three home runs in, he recorded his first career out in the eighth. With big-time power and speed potential, Báez has wasted no time in proving why he can be a significant difference-maker in fantasy the rest of the way.

Báez will be making his MLB debut against the Cubs after hitting 34 homers and slashing .256/.328/.573 in Triple-A. He’ll hit fifth and play left field. The 23-year-old has immense power, but he does have the potential for contact issues as seen in 136 strikeouts over 103 games. That being said, he also has stolen 21 bases — after stealing 54 in 2025 — so there’s tremendous reward that comes with the inherited risks in Báez’s profile.

The 23-year-old slugger has put on an epic power display at the Triple-A level this season, slashing .256/.328/.573 with 34 homers, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 461 plate appearances. He has also whiffed 136 times, which fantasy managers would gladly accept with that type of power and speed production. He should get an everyday role in the Cardinals’ outfield for the rest of the season which instantly makes him an intriguing mixed league addition. He’ll be in the starting lineup to make his MLB debut against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

It seems inconceivable that Báez will spend the remainder of the season on the doorstep of the big leagues. The power-hitting 23-year-old has some work left to be done from a swing decision and approach standpoint to scale back on the strikeouts. However, it’s undeniable that his immense raw power would be useful for the Cardinals down the home stretch. They’re currently rolling with unheralded Bryan Torres, who holds a pedestrian .692 OPS, as their primary left fielder after moving Lars Nootbaar at the trade deadline earlier this week. The Cardinals would be able to promote Báez towards the end of next week and still retaining his rookie eligibility for next season. He’s the type of streaky slugger that could hit the ground running and make an immediate impact for fantasy managers, which makes him worthy of a speculative roster spot in all formats.

The 23-year-old now has 31 home runs and 77 RBI on the season. Yes, he’s hitting .244, and there is some swing-and-miss that will likely always be a part of his game, but he still has an .883 OPS on the year and has perhaps the best power/speed combination in the upper minors. It would make sense for the Cardinals to find a spot in the lineup for him, but it may not happen until after August 14, when they can retain his rookie eligibility for 2027.

Báez went deep for the first time since a two-homer explosion back on July 2. It was his 29th round-tripper of the year. The 23-year-old’s off-the-charts power/speed combination gives him a chance to be the most impactful fantasy prospect to receive the call to the majors in the second half. There are some lingering swing-and-miss issues that are probably the biggest reason why he’s still in the minors. He should have an immediate impact once he is promoted, which makes Báez a worthwhile stash candidate in all fantasy leagues.

Báez had a tremendous month of June, but the last two weeks have been a struggle. In 11 games from June 25th on, Báez has gone 5-for-44 with two doubles and two home runs. Obviously, the hits aren’t falling, and his 13/3 K/BB ratio over those 11 games isn’t ideal, but it’s also not egregious and shows he’s not being overmatched. He will likely get hot again, but there remains no real spot for him in the Cardinals’ lineup, so he’s probably not as much of a priority stash as he was three weeks ago.