The St. Louis Cardinals have a rubber match ahead on Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs.
Saturday was a debut of the ages for Joshua Baez. He clubbed three home runs in his first 3 at-bats, which was MLB history. He drove in five runs and scored three runs.
MLB.com staff wrote (on August 16):
“Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez made Major League history in his debut on Saturday against St. Louis’ arch rival Cubs, becoming the first player ever to homer in each of his first three big league plate appearances.”
Before the Cubs series finale, the Cardinals announced their lineup, and it features Joshua Baez again, because why wouldn’t it?
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Joshua Baez Hitting Fifth on Sunday Afternoon
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 15: Joshua Báez #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his third home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)
On Sunday afternoon, the Cardinals revealed their lineup, and Joshua Baez is in the same spot as he was for his MLB debut, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess…
Here is the full St. Louis Cardinals lineup for 8/16, per @UnderdogMLB:Â
Cardinals: “8/16 J. Wetherholt 2B I. Herrera DH A. Burleson 1B J. Walker RF J. Báez LF N. Church CF M. Winn SS J. Crooks C B. Jordan 3B H. Dobbins SP”
Some other changes include Jordan Walker hitting cleanup, Alec Burleson hitting 3rd again, and Masyn Winn hitting 7th.
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More on Joshua Baez…
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 15: Joshua Báez #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jessie Alcheh/Getty Images)
Joshua Baez is the Cardinals’ third-ranked prospect, and he could be in for a long, successful career if he continues the torrid pace he’s on after just one game.
MLBTR.comâs Darragh McDonald wrote (about the Joshua Baez):
âDespite the concerns, Báez is still considered a top 100 prospect by some. Baseball America currently lists him #56 overall and MLB Pipeline has him at #59. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had Báez #93 coming into the season. Some are less optimistic, however. Keith Law of The Athletic didnât have Báez top 100 before the season and recently provided an updated top 70 with no Báez on it. FanGraphs currently lists him sixth in the Cardinalsâ system and outside the Top 100.â
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