Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez: Could get some reps at third base
Rotowire
Rodriguez has worked out at third base and will "continue to see time there as they look to expand his versatility," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom noted Monday that the team has a "long-term vacancy" at third base. Goold writes that Rodriguez still projects as a catcher, but the team is open to adding third base to his list of positions along with catcher and first base as it looks to increase versatility. Rodriguez -- who will not turn 20 until January -- has emerged as one of the best prospects in baseball, having slashed .324/.413/.574 with 27 home runs, 87 RBI, 11 steals and a 60:101 BB:K over 115 games between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield in 2026. He'll likely begin the 2027 season at Triple-A Memphis and could reach the majors before the end of the season.
Rodriguez had his first career four-hit game at Double-A Springfield on Tuesday and is slashing .361/.429/.660 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles over his last 47 games.
Rodriguez collected just a .527 OPS in his first 21 games after being promoted to Springfield, but the top prospect has adjusted and is now surging. The 19-year-old has put up a 1.239 OPS in August and is currently riding a streak of 39 plate appearances without a strikeout. Rodriguez has seen the majority of his starts this season at catcher (55), but he's also been used at first base (21) and designated hitter (20).
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Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez: Heating up at Double-A
Rotowire
Rodriguez is slashing .391/.481/.717 with four home runs and three doubles over his last 11 contests at Double-A Springfield.
Rodriguez was promoted from High-A Peoria to Springfield in mid-May and needed an initial adjustment period, hitting only .182 with one long ball in his first 21 games. The top prospect has now found his rhythm, and he's one of the hottest hitters in the Texas League at just 19 years of age. Between the two levels this season, Rodriguez boasts a .284/.394/.463 line with nine home runs, a 13.1 percent walk rate and a 22.6 percent strikeout rate.
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Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez: Bumped up to High-A
Rotowire
Rodriguez was promoted from Single-A Palm Beach to High-A Peoria on Thursday.
Rodriguez has demolished Florida Complex League and Florida State League pitching thus far, slashing .275/.405/.567 with 20 home runs and a 63:54 K:BB over 80 games covering the two stops. The 18-year-old will now get his feet wet in the Midwest League before Peoria's season concludes Sunday. Rodriguez has established himself as one of the best young power-hitting prospects in baseball.
