Joshua Báez was officially added to St. Louis' active roster Saturday, with infielder César Prieto optioned to Triple-A as the corresponding move.
The 23-year-old outfielder is expected in the lineup after crushing 34 homers in 461 plate appearances this season, though his strikeout rate has climbed back to 29.5%.
St. Louis timed the call-up so Báez can debut without losing rookie eligibility for 2027, since he can no longer reach the 45-day service threshold and can still stay under 130 at-bats.
That preserves potential Prospect Promotion Incentive value if Báez remains on enough top-100 lists, while giving the Cardinals a late-season look at a power-speed prospect who has 21 steals this year.
The move fits a club increasingly focused on the future after trading Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Lars Nootbaar at the deadline despite sitting only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.