Thomas

Saggese

Winn didn’t even get a chance to bat in this one, as he was replaced when the Cardinals took the field in the second inning. Back injuries can tend to linger, so there’s a chance that this could be something that winds up sidelining him for a bit. Thomas Saggese took over at shortstop and could be in line for a larger workload if Winn is forced to miss any time.

Too many grounders, rather than too many strikeouts, has been Walker’s real problem, but he is hitting .263 with a .364 OBP to date. He’s been limited to just one extra-base hit, even though he’s hitting the ball plenty hard. With Walker resting, the Cardinals have Brendan Donovan in the outfield and Thomas Saggese at second base on Wednesday.

We can confidently say that Arenado hasn’t been traded. It’ll be rookie Thomas Saggese taking over at third base. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

Saggese got his first at-bat in the game in the seventh inning where he plated Lars Nootbaar with a sacrifice fly that pulled the Cardinals to within 13 runs at 16-3. He made things a bit tighter in the ninth as he tagged Cooper Criswell for a 430-foot (109.0 mph EV) three-run shot that made it 18-7. He’s now 2-for-4 in his limited action on the season.

It’s the first time this season that he’s sat. He’ll surely be back in there for the nightcap, but the recently recalled Thomas Saggese will get the nod against a lefty this afternoon.

The Cardinals could have brought up José Fermín, who was in the running for the last bench spot, if they wanted someone who wouldn’t play much. That the 23-year-old Saggese is the choice instead suggests he’ll get at least a couple of starts per week while Nolan Gorman is out. Saggese started off 4-for-14 with a homer in four games at Memphis.

As we head into the final days of spring training, you’re going to see every club trim down their roster like this. The Cardinals now have just 31 players remaining in big league camp. Saggese’s best chance of making the Opening Day roster was for the Cardinals to trade Nolan Arenado, but as that still hasn’t happened he’ll be ticketed for Triple-A Memphis to start the 2025 campaign.

Saggese also walked today, leaving him 4-for-17 with a 7/1 K/BB this spring. The Cardinals appear open to carrying the 22-year-old as a part-timer initially, though he would still seem to have something to prove in Triple-A after hitting .253/.313/.438 for Memphis last season. A Nolan Arenado trade would give Saggese much more of a chance to make an impact in the early going, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen at this point.

The 22-year-old Cardinals’ prospect smacked an RBI double in the third inning that tied the game at 1-1. He then singled in each of his final two at-bats to finish the night with three knocks. Saggese is off to a terrific start in the desert, slashing .431/.554/.647 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI and a 13/12 K/BB ratio through his first 14 ballgames.

Saggese went 4-for-23 with a homer and a 6/0 K/BB while starting each of the previous six games. He’ll probably continue to start most of the time, since the Cardinals have switched to next-year mode.