The St. Louis Cardinals have made a couple of roster decisions as spring training has rolled on, and one of those included sending outfield prospect, No. 4 according to MLB Pipeline, Joshua Baez, to Triple-A Memphis. Baez was given a 40-man roster spot this winter and is expected to make his debut at some point this season, but when? The Cardinals have plenty of outfielders on the major league roster, but Baez is one of the future talents that the team expects to help push the franchise in the right direction.

The Cardinals are very short on power-hitting bats, specifically those that bat from the right side of the plate. Baez grades out with a 60 grade on his power, which is part of what the Cardinals see in him for the future. He has the tools to become a middle-of-the-order bat in St. Louis, but he has to continue to build upon last season, where he saw his best season yet. Baez had 46 extra-base hits in the minor leagues last season and had the best batting average in his career so far at .287.

There are two caveats to Baez right now: first, he has yet to have an at-bat at the Triple-A level, and the second is that the Cardinals have a deep outfield and the playing time is not there as of Opening Day. Not to say that at some time this season, the Cardinals may pull the trigger on one of their disposable outfielders and bring Baez up to the big leagues. He has the talent, but building the confidence in himself to face major league pitching is going to be the first step, and that will begin in Memphis.

Being in Memphis will also allow him to be penciled into the lineup daily to build that confidence and continue to grow as a hitter from last season every day. The Cardinals have spent the last couple of seasons trying to find at-bats for players that they needed to evaluate and make a decision on their future with the club, but older veterans garnered the playing time and did not allow the Cardinals to knock out that piece of their rebuild. The Cardinals are not hiding that this season could get rough and that they have the full intention to build upon the core and discover the pieces that are going to be a part of the future.

Baez torched the competition at the end of his time with the major league camp, but the team still saw it fit to find him more playing time in the minors and complete his steps up the ranks to make sure he is ready for the major league roster. Baez smacked three home runs in three games to end his time in Grapefruit League games, but his future is bright, and the Cardinals know this and want to make sure that the right steps are taken in his development. Rest assured that this is not the last time Baez will take the field with the Cardinals this season, and certainly during the season, he will make his major league debut.