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Bligh Madris Bligh Madris Back with Cardinals
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 8:50 PM
Madris signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Wednesday.
Analysis: Madris began the year with the Cardinals but was released in July to pursue an opportunity in Korea. After slashing .175/.278/.381 across 72 plate appearances while overseas, the 30-year-old will now reunite with St. Louis and figures to remain in Triple-A as organizational depth for the remainder of the year. |
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Josh Fleming Josh Fleming Lands with Cards
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 5:40 PM
Fleming signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Analysis: Fleming has spent time with the Blue Jays and Cubs this season. He gave up six runs over three innings during his lone big-league appearance but owns a 3.16 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 82.2 frames in the minors. He'll report to Triple-A Memphis to begin his tenure with the Cardinals but could get another opportunity to pitch in the majors if he continues to perform well. |
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Blaze Jordan Blaze Jordan Drawing sixth straight start
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 4:37 PM
Jordan will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Jordan will pick up his sixth consecutive start after going 5-for-20 with a home run, a triple, a walk, three RBI and two runs over the prior five contests. The Cardinals had previously been using Jordan primarily against lefties, but the rookie has now cracked the lineup in three straight matchups versus righties. Manager Oliver Marmol appears to be giving Jordan another look as an everyday player at the hot corner, with Jose Fermin moving back into more of a utility role as a result. |
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Jose Fermin Jose Fermin Losing out on playing time
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 4:30 PM
Fermin is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: On the bench for the fourth time in six games, Fermin might be moving back into more of a utility role after he had previously been seeing steadier playing time between third base and the outfield. However, with outfield prospect Joshua Baez handling an everyday role since getting the call to the big leagues last weekend and with rookie Blaze Jordan beginning to regain traction at the hot corner, Fermin's primary avenues to playing time have been closed off. |
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Joshua Baez Joshua Baez Receiving first day off since call-up
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 2:12 PM
Baez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Analysis: Baez made waves in his MLB debut Saturday against the Cubs with home runs in his first three trips to the plate, but since then, he's gone 0-for-18 with an 0:7 BB:K, a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly. The Cardinals will give the young outfielder a mental break by sending him to the bench for the first time since he was recalled from Triple-A Memphis. Bryan Torres will spell Baez in left field and bat seventh. |
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Pitching for Triple-A club Wednesday
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 1:08 PM
Cijntje (hamstring) is listed as Triple-A Memphis' starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against Jacksonville.
Analysis: Cijntje battled a right hamstring injury during his previous start Thursday, but it doesn't look like it will keep him from making his next turn through the Triple-A rotation. Since being promoted from Double-A Springfield to Memphis on July 15, Cijntje has submitted a 6.29 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB in 24.1 innings over five starts. |
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Moved up to High-A
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 12:03 PM
Padilla was promoted from Single-A Palm Beach to High-A Peoria on Tuesday.
Analysis: Padilla didn't make his season debut until mid-June after missing time with a shoulder injury. He's healthy now and earned a promotion to the Midwest League after slashing .273/.350/.473 with three home runs, 10 stolen bases, a 10.5 percent walk rate and an 18.5 percent strikeout rate with Palm Beach. The 19-year-old Padilla oozes physical ability and is starting to produce better exit velocities, though his home-run potential will be capped unless he's able to lower a groundball rate that's currently over 60 percent. |
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Destroying Double-A pitching
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 11:09 AM
Rodriguez had his first career four-hit game at Double-A Springfield on Tuesday and is slashing .361/.429/.660 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles over his last 47 games.
Analysis: Rodriguez collected just a .527 OPS in his first 21 games after being promoted to Springfield, but the top prospect has adjusted and is now surging. The 19-year-old has put up a 1.239 OPS in August and is currently riding a streak of 39 plate appearances without a strikeout. Rodriguez has seen the majority of his starts this season at catcher (55), but he's also been used at first base (21) and designated hitter (20). |
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Masyn Winn Masyn Winn Huge day in win over Cincy
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 9:22 AM
Winn went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a solo home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Reds.
Analysis: It's the 24-year-old shortstop's first career game with three extra-base hits, and the eight total bases tied his career high. Winn's long ball also snapped a 41-game power drought, but his bat's been showing faint signs of coming around since the All-Star break -- over his last 24 contests, he's produced a .267/.333/.384 slash line with seven doubles, two steals, nine runs and nine RBI. |
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Riley O'Brien Riley O'Brien Nails down 32nd save
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 9:17 AM
O'Brien struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 32nd save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Reds.
Analysis: The big right-hander continued an absolutely dominant stretch that began July 22. Over his last 11 appearances, O'Brien has converted all seven of his save chances without allowing a run and surrendering just one hit, while posting a 12:5 K:BB over 11 innings. While he entered 2026 with just six career saves, O'Brien's 32 this season have him second in the majors behind Bryan Baker's 35. |
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Kyle Leahy Kyle Leahy Blanks Cincy for win No. 10
Wed, Aug 19, 2026, 9:12 AM
Leahy (10-4) picked up the win in Tuesday's 3-0 victory over the Reds, scattering three hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out six without walking a batter.
Analysis: The right-hander fired 57 of 90 pitches for strikes and only allowed one runner to even reach second base against him, before Leahy handed the ball off to his bullpen to complete the shutout. It's the fourth time in his last 10 starts that Leahy has blanked the opposition, and over that span he's gone 5-0 with a stellar 1.38 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 52:9 K:BB through 52.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come this weekend on the road in Philadelphia. |
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Joshua Baez Joshua Baez Riding struggle bus since three-homer debut
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 11:49 AM
Baez went 0-for-9 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored while starting in both ends of Monday's doubleheader in Cincinnati.
Analysis: Since making history Saturday in his MLB debut at Wrigley Field with three home runs and five RBI in his first three at-bats, Baez has gone hitless with six strikeouts in his subsequent 16 trips to the plate. Given that the 23-year-old outfielder struck out at a 29.5 percent clip at Triple-A Memphis this season, his early struggles with making consistent contact in the big leagues don't come as a major surprise and could make him prone to slumps. Even so, the all-fields power Baez put on display in his debut and during his time in the minors in addition to his aggressiveness as a baserunner (21 steals in 24 attempts at Memphis) should be more than enough to offset the risk he carries in the batting-average category. He should also benefit from ample RBI opportunities, as the Cardinals slotted him fifth in the order in three of his first four starts. |
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Quinn Mathews Quinn Mathews Sent back to Memphis
Tue, Aug 18, 2026, 9:15 AM
The Cardinals optioned Mathews to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.
Analysis: Mathews held the Reds to one run over four innings in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Reds. There's not currently room for the left-hander in the Cardinals' rotation, so he'll return to Memphis for now until another opportunity arises. |
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Andre Pallante Andre Pallante Continues to provide good length
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 11:15 PM
Pallante allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader.
Analysis: Pallante allowed plenty of traffic, but only one of the 10 hits against him (a double) went for extra bases. He held the Reds to just one run through his first five frames but faded in his final inning, when he gave up three runs on four hits. Still, the right-hander did his job by lasting six frames to help protect a bullpen that deployed five relievers in Game 1. Length has been a strong point of Pallante's of late -- he's now completed six-plus innings in four of his past five starts. While he's by no means setting the world on fire, Pallante has quietly shown considerable improvement over last season by recording a respectable 3.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 97:41 K:BB across 136 innings over 24 starts. He's lined up to next take the mound on the road against Philadelphia. |
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Riley O'Brien Riley O'Brien Dominates for save No. 31
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 10:56 PM
O'Brien notched a save in the first game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Reds, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
Analysis: O'Brien had little trouble protecting a one-run lead, throwing 11 of 14 pitches for strikes en route to punching out all three batters he faced. The All-Star closer leads the NL with 31 saves on the season, and only Tampa Bay's Bryan Baker (35) has more saves in either league. O'Brien's last blown save came July 20 against the Angels -- since then, he's a perfect six-for-six in save chances and has pitched 10 consecutive scoreless outings, yielding just one hit while posting an 11:5 K:BB across 10 innings during that span. |
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Quinn Mathews Quinn Mathews Fans seven in spot start
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 10:50 PM
Mathews completed four innings in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against Cincinnati, allowing one run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven batters in a no-decision.
Analysis: Mathews was called up from Triple-A Memphis early Monday and handed the ball for the matinee. The southpaw held his own, allowing just one run on a fourth-inning solo homer by Dane Myers. Mathews racked up 12 whiffs and seven punchouts, though he was a bit wild and needed 95 pitches (55 strikes) to complete only four frames. It was just the second appearance of the 25-year-old's big-league career; in his MLB debut Aug. 1 in Toronto, Mathews yielded three runs over five innings in a loss. Unless St. Louis opts to shift to a six-man rotation, there doesn't seem to be room for Mathews to remain with the big-league club as a starter for now, but he'd likely be a top candidate to move into the rotation should any of the Cardinals' other starters suffer an injury or get demoted. |
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Jose Fermin Jose Fermin Out of lineup for second game
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 4:10 PM
Fermin is not in the lineup for the second game of Monday's doubleheader in Cincinnati.
Analysis: After going 0-for-3 at the plate in the first game, Fermin will begin the nightcap on the bench. Blaze Jordan will settle in at third base for the Cardinals. |
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Nathan Church Nathan Church Taking seat for early game
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 11:18 AM
Church is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Reds.
Analysis: Church's platoon mate, Everson Pereira, will cover center field for St. Louis in the early game while Cincinnati sends left-hander Kent Emanuel to the mound. Expect Church to return to the starting nine for the second game of the day, when right-hander Rhett Lowder will take the hill for the Reds. |
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Jimmy Crooks Jimmy Crooks Idle for first game of day
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 11:16 AM
Crooks is out of the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Reds.
Analysis: The Reds are sending southpaw Kent Emanuel to the bump for Game 1, so the left-handed-hitting Crooks will begin the contest on the bench. Crooks could draw a start behind the plate in the second game of the day, when a right-hander (Rhett Lowder) will be on the mound for Cincinnati. |
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Quinn Mathews Quinn Mathews Added to roster ahead of spot start
Mon, Aug 17, 2026, 9:54 AM
The Cardinals recalled Mathews from Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Analysis: Mathews will start the first game of Monday's doubleheader in Cincinnati versus the Reds. He'll be making his second MLB start, after yielding two runs with a 3:3 K:BB over five innings in his debut in Toronto earlier this month. In 21 starts for Memphis this season, Mathews has collected a 3.27 ERA and 120:61 K:BB across 99 innings. He will likely be sent back down following Monday's spot start. |
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