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Rainiel Rodriguez Keeps Rolling at Double-A
St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez picked up where he left off the regular season, collecting a pair of base hits in Double-A Springfield's 9-7 playoff win on Tuesday. The Cards' top-ranked prospect finished off the regular season on a tear, going 17-for-41 (.415) with four home runs and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) over his final 11 games. The Dominican backstop began the year at High-A, but seemingly got even better upon his promotion to Double-A, producing a .328/.408/.591 slash line with 23 home runs in 87 games for Springfield; he did all that as one of the few 19-year-olds at that level. The right-handed hitter should get a shot at Triple-A next season, and at that point, the talented youngster will be knocking on the door to the majors. His arrow is pointing way up in dynasty formats and should be stashed away as soon as possible if not already rostered.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Cardinals to Promote No. 7 Prospect Leo Bernal to Majors
The St. Louis Cardinals are promoting catching prospect Leo Bernal to the majors, according to Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. The 22-year-old originally signed with the Cardinals as an international free agent out of Panama in 2021. Up until this point, he had spent the entire season in Triple-A, slashing .279/.364/.469 with 16 home runs, 77 RBI, nine steals, an 11.8% walk rate, a 20.0% strikeout rate, and 116 wRC+ across 100 games. Bernal is a switch-hitter and has made impressive strides from a platoon standpoint this year. Specifically, he improved upon his ability to hit right-handed pitching, bringing his OPS against righties up from .668 to .846 this year. He's also been solid on defense, throwing out 27.4% of base stealers. Bernal should have a chance to carve out significant playing time right away, as both of the Cardinals' active catchers have a sub-.600 OPS.
Source: Francys Romero
Source: Francys Romero
Rainiel Rodriguez Surging at Double-A Springfield
St. Louis Cardinals catcher prospect Rainiel Rodriguez took some time settling in at Double-A Springfield after his promotion in early May, hitting just .182 with two extra-base hits over his first 21 games there. However, since then, the Cardinals' top-ranked prospect has caught fire, hitting .368 with 20 doubles and 18 home runs in just 53 games, good for a 1.134 OPS during that time. That type of production is impressive on its own merit, but the right-handed hitter is doing all of this as one of the youngest players in Double-A at age 19. The youngster is in position to begin 2027 at Triple-A and has a shot to debut next year despite his age, though it is crowded at catcher in St. Louis with Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, and fellow catching prospect Leo Bernal, so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Rodriguez (and Bernal, for that matter) has played some first base this year, and with his power potential, designated hitter is always an option as well, which gives him multiple paths to the majors. The 5-foot-10 Dominican should be on redraft managers' radar in 2027, and his dynasty arrow is pointing way up.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Rainiel Rodriguez Defying Youth With Production at Double-A
St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez had another multi-hit game on Wednesday night and is hitting .303 in Double-A Springfield during July. In 76 July at-bats, Rodriguez has five homers and 13 RBI with 10 runs scored while hitting north of .300. At 19 years old, the right-handed-hitting catcher is the top prospect in the Cardinals' system, making him enticing as a stash candidate even for this year. However, St. Louis is loaded at catcher at the big league level with Ivan Herrera, Jimmy Crooks, and Pedro Pages. Being that Rodriguez is just 19 years old, the Cardinals could choose to wait on a big-league debut for him, especially with the vast experience they already have in St. Louis at the position. Rodriguez looks like a dynamite dynasty league option, but in a redraft league it might be wise to regroup at the position next season.
Source: Minor League Baseball
Source: Minor League Baseball
Rainiel Rodriguez Resolidifying Status as Strong Dynasty Asset
St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez put an exclamation point on the end of a strong first half by blasting another home run at Double-A Springfield in his last game before the break. The Cards' top-ranked prospect (MLB No. 12) was promoted to Double-A in mid-May and really found his footing there over the last month. From June 10 through July 10, the 5-foot-10 Dominican went 31-for-95 (.326) with five doubles, seven home runs, and four stolen bases in 23 games. The 19-year-old is slashing .262/.361/.436 overall at Double-A with eight home runs in a total of 44 games there, an impressive feat for one of the youngest players at that level, joining MLB's No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, Jesus Made and Leo De Vries, as the only players under the age of 20 at Double-A. Look for a strong second half from the young backstop, with a potential late-season promotion to Triple-A, and he could be knocking on the door to the majors in 2027, so even redraft fantasy managers should be familiar with the name.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Is Ivan Herrera a Buy-Low Target Behind the Plate for the Second Half?
St. Louis Cardinals catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera has improved his plate discipline in the first half of the season, cutting down on his strikeout rate and increasing his walk rate. His batting average has dropped as well, though, and his ISO and SLG are both below his numbers from the last two years. The Cardinals have tried to keep the 26-year-old fresh by playing him just 36 games behind the plate and 59 games at designated hitter. Hopefully, his fresher legs will lead to more power in the second half, but he struggled over the past 20 games, with just a .183 batting average and 26.8% hard-hit rate. His track record over the last few seasons does give him upside in the second half. After the All-Star break last season, he hit .260 with 11 homers and a .344 wOBA. Since he's in a prime lineup spot, hitting second for the Cardinals, he has the potential for a nice bounce-back in the second half and could be a nice pickup if his current manager is down on him due to his slump.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jimmy Crooks Ticketed for Major Role on MLB Roster?
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Friday. He'll join the big league roster after slashing .262/.412/.567 with 13 home runs across 39 games in the minors this season. Manager Oliver Marmol has made it clear that Crooks was not brought up to sit on the bench. He should get the lion's share of the playing time, with Ivan Herrera serving as the personal catcher for Michael McGreevy and Andre Pallante. Crooks is not in the starting lineup on Friday, but figures to get into the lineup this weekend. Fantasy managers in need of catching help should consider adding Crooks. It's difficult to find catchers who can contribute consistently at the plate, and Crooks has shown the potential of being a reliable bat.
Source: Jeff Jones
Source: Jeff Jones
Cardinals Promote No. 7-Ranked Prospect Jimmy Crooks to Majors, Worth an Add in Deeper Leagues?
According to the team, the St. Louis Cardinals have promoted No. 7-ranked prospect Jimmy Crooks to the major league roster. Crooks made his MLB debut in the back half of the 2025 campaign, but he appeared in only 15 games during this short stint. However, Crooks has played at a high level with the Triple-A club this season and could earn a much larger role in his second stint. Last summer with the Cardinals, Crooks posted a low .133/.152/.244 line with one long ball. This season, Crooks has been among the top-performing catchers in the minor leagues as he has carried an impressive .262/.412/.567 slash line with a .979 OPS and 13 home runs. While the Cardinals have two proven backstops on the roster in Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera, if Crooks can continue this power surge, he could eventually carve out a role. For now, he is worth a pick-up in deeper two-catcher leagues.
Source: St. Louis Cardinals
Source: St. Louis Cardinals
Is the Arrow Still Pointing Up for Rainiel Rodriguez After Slow Start at Double-A?
St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A earlier this month, but hasn't quite found his footing at the new level yet. The Cards' second-ranked prospect slashed .311/.430/.519 in 28 games at High-A before being promoted, and while he had a pair of multi-hit performances in his first three games there, he's since gone 5-for-34 (.147) with a 2:11 BB:K in nine games. The Dominican had an impressive showing in 2025, slashing .276/.399/.555 with 20 home runs in 84 games between the Complex League and Single-A, so this is seemingly his first run-in with adversity in the minor league system. Still, at only 19 years old, he's one of just three players that young at Double-A, the other being MLB's No. 1 and No. 2 prospects Jesus Made and Leo De Vries, so growing pains are expected, and with his pedigree, he should be able to get back on track. An MLB debut this season seems like a long shot, but perhaps a late-season call-up is in the cards if he can pick up the pace, otherwise, the right-handed hitter remains a strong dynasty asset and could have an impact in redraft leagues in 2027.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
