The St. Louis Cardinals are almost back to full strength after shortstop Masyn Winn came off the injured list on Tuesday. The Cardinals elected to send outfielder Michael Siani to Triple-A and keep infielder Thomas Saggese with the Big League Club in a corresponding move.
Saggese was called up when infielder Nolan Gorman went to the Injured list on April 4. Then Winn hit the IL with back spasms on April 11, and Saggese remained with the club. The Cardinals No. 5 prospect has been impressive at the MLB level this season, earning him a continued spot on the roster despite a crowded infield for the team.
Injury Replacement Stays on Roster
The 23-year-old Saggese started off the season in Triple-A. He was a late send-down in Spring Training, mainly due to a crowd of options in the infield for the Cardinals. Saggese seemed to be behind Winn, Gorman, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan as middle infielders or third baseman on the roster.
Gorman has made nine starts at the Big League level after injuries to Gorman and Winn. He has hit safely in all nine starts. This season, he has a slash line of .400/.389/.600 in 12 total MLB games. Last year, in 18 MLB games, that line was .204/.250/.306. Saggese put in a lot of work in the offseason. It appears that it will be paying dividends in 2025. Manager Oliver Marmol raved about Saggese as a bright spot after the team was swept in four games by the New York Mets over the weekend.
“He continues to grow and understand how to game plan,” Marmol said. “His at-bats have been really good. He continues to ask good questions defensively and on the bases. There’s growth there. He looks really good handling the bat.”
Infield Stays Crowded
Saggese will likely stay in the lineup, as the Cardinals have shown with him before, they want him to get at-bats at a lower level over giving him MLB experience. The right-handed batter can play shortstop, second base, or third base. Of the five players who play one of those positions on the roster, the third is the one who bats from the right. Both Winn and Arenado also bat right. Donovan and Gorman bat left.
The Cardinals are committed to starting one of Alec Burleson or Willson Contreras at first base, while the other slots in at DH more often than not. Keeping Saggese on the roster makes infield at-bats a competition daily. Saggese is a plus defender in the middle infield. His defensive abilities will help his chances of keeping at-bats.
A large impact of Siani going down and Saggese staying up means that Donovan will likely get a lot more time in the outfield. Donovan has started 23 games this season in the infield, three in the outfield, and one as DH. That ratio will likely increase as only three full-time outfielders are now on the Cardinals roster.
Saggese Has a Chance to Achieve Potential
The chance Saggese has is one to prove he deserves the high prospect rating he has earned. Saggese is the Cardinals’ No. 5 prospect and No. 3 hitting prospect. He was initially acquired at the trade deadline in 2023 from the Texas Rangers for Jordan Montgomery.
Saggese’s hard hit percentage is 48.1 percent. He’s above average in outfield range and the top 20th percentile for sprint speed. He has every tool necessary to be an effective MLB player. However, he’s not sitting back and waiting for his talent to work out for him. He told MLB.com’s John Denton that he is learning from veterans on the roster like Arenado or Donovan.
“I just talk to people and see what they think. There is a lot of talent in this room,” Saggese told Denton. “‘What can I take [from those veterans] and help my game?’ I like to try to pick as many brains as I can — whatever it may be.”
Main Photo Credits: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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