Joshus Baez, have a day. Joshua Baez, have a debut!
It didn’t take long for the St. Louis Cardinals’ rookie to endear himself to MLB’s audience. After getting called up from AAA for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, Baez delivered on the hype.
In the top of the first inning, on Baez’s first MLB at-bat, the first pitch he saw nonetheless, he blasted Matthew Boyd’s pitch 449 feet to dead center field for a two-run home run to put the Cardinals up 3-0.
Then, on his second at-bat, he displayed his ability to pull the ball, hitting a 389-foot shot to left field. The solo home run restored the Cardinals’ lead at 4-3.
But Baez wasn’t done there. In the top of the sixth inning, he finished off the trifecta, going opposite field for a 368-foot, two-run home run to right field. Baez brought home Alec Burleson for the second time with that sixth-inning shot.
The Home Run Derby king Jordan Walker followed Baez with a home run of his own. Then Burleson hit a solo shot for St. Louis’ fifth home run of the game.
Not only did St. Louis rout NL central rival Chicago Cubs 8-4, but the Cardinals gained confirmation.
They had developed Baez since drafting him 54th overall in 2021. Across 410 at bats in AAA in 2026, Baez has a .256 batting average, 34 home runs and 90 RBIs. He earned recognition as St. Louis’ third-ranked minor league prospect. Then, when he got his chance, he made the most of it.
Baez also joined an exclusive group of prospects that got to mashing upon their MLB arrival.
Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Jose Fernandez went deep twice in his MLB debut on March 31. Fernandez got promoted five games into the season after the Diamondbacks placed Pavin Smith on the injured list. That performance launched him to remain in the majors until the beginning of June.
Chicago White Sox rookie Braden Montgomery hit a two-run walk-off home run to lift the White Sox 6-5 over the Atlanta Braves in his MLB debut.
Cleveland Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter also slugged two home runs in his first regular-season game. DeLauter joined the Guardians during the American League Wild Card series in 2025. He then made the roster to start the 2026 season, and proved why immediately.
