Joshua Baez 2026 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Early Call-Up Could Lead to Instant Fantasy Relevance
Outfielder Joshua Baez is the No. 7 prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, and he is coming off an outstanding 2025 campaign. Across 499 plate appearances in High-A and Double-A, Baez slashed .287/.384/.500 with 20 home runs and 52 stolen bases. He also showed solid plate discipline as he struckout only 21% of the time while walking at nearly a 12% clip. Most impressively, only Baez and top overall prospect Konnor Griffin reached the 20-home run and 50-steal threshold in 2025. Coming into 2026, the 22-year-old is expected to open the season at Triple-A Memphis, but a promotion could come as early as April or May. The Cardinals' outfield carries several question marks, including Lars Nootbaar's health and the offensive consistency of Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II. The Massachusetts native has the defensive versatility to play all three outfield positions, but he profiles more as a corner outfielder. For fantasy purposes, you can safely leave Baez off your draft board to begin the season, especially in standard redraft formats. However, he's a name worth closely monitoring because of his ability to be a five-category contributor as early as 2026.
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