The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
Baker was never able to get his bat going this spring, tallying nine hits in 44 at-bats while striking out 13 times. Baker slashed .334/.439/.720 with 33 homers and 98 RBI in Triple-A last season, and if he's able to find his swing again in the minors, he may return to the Cardinals' bench at some point this summer.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Too many strikeouts in spring
Rotowire
Baker has gone 7-for-32 with four RBI, 11 strikeouts and three walks over 16 Grapefruit League games.
Baker struck out a 31.3 percent rate over 99 plate appearances toward the tail end of 2023. The 27-year-old has a strong power profile after slugging 33 home runs over 84 contests with Triple-A Memphis, but there's no clear path to a starting job in the majors with Paul Goldschmidt locked in at first base and Nolan Gorman likely to be the designated hitter. In terms of a competition for a bench role, Alec Burleson's strong spring and his ability to be an option in the outfield put him comfortably ahead of Baker or any number of other options to back up at first base.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Lifts second homer
Rotowire
Baker went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 12-2 loss to the Padres.
Baker produced the Cardinals' lone scoring play with his seventh-inning blast. He's seen steadier playing time over the last week, going 4-for-17 (.235) over his last six games. The 26-year-old is batting .217 with two homers, seven RBI, six runs scored and a double across 76 plate appearances in the majors this year. With the Cardinals in last in the NL Central, he'll likely get some more at-bats over the final week of the campaign as part of the evaluation for next season's roster.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Gets start in DH role
Rotowire
Baker will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth Wednesday versus the Brewers.
The 26-year-old should see an uptick in playing time over what remains of the 2023 regular season with Alec Burleson (thumb) joining Nolan Gorman (hamstring) on the injured list. Baker has gone 12-for-56 (.214) with 22 strikeouts through his first 22 games at the MLB level, but he was slashing .334/.440/.720 with 33 homers and 98 RBI in 84 games for Triple-A Memphis prior to being recalled in mid-August.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Belts first big-league homer
Rotowire
Baker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Saturday in a loss to the Phillies.
Baker produced St. Louis' lone run of the contest with his solo shot off Zack Wheeler in the third inning. It was the 26-year-old's first major-league long ball, and there may be many more to come if his 33 homers over 84 games in the minors this season is any indication. Baker has played sparingly during his two call-ups to the big club, though he could start to see more opportunities down the stretch with the Cardinals sitting 12 games out of an NL wild-card spot.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Sitting versus lefty
Rotowire
Baker is absent from the lineup for Monday's game in Pittsburgh, Bally Sports Midwest reports.
Baker has started just four of nine games since his recall and has now not been in the lineup three times in five contests versus southpaws over that time. The minor league's home run leader this season with 33 dingers, Baker has struggled during his few chances in the majors and the Cardinals don't seem terribly interested in giving him a longer look.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Gets start at DH
Rotowire
Baker is serving as the Cardinals' designated hitter and batting eighth Monday versus the Athletics.
This will be Baker's first major-league game since he was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Memphis. The 26-year-old has struggled in limited action this season at baseball's highest level, but he's posted a tremendous .3334/.440/.720 batting line with 33 homers and 98 RBI across 84 games in the International League. Maybe he can carve out more playing time down the stretch on an out-of-contention St. Louis club, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in the DH role.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Recalled from Memphis
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
With Dylan Carlson (oblique) headed for the 10-day IL, Baker will come up from the minors to give St. Louis an additional bench bat. The 26-year-old first baseman is 5-for-19 in the majors this season and boasts a .334/.439/.720 slash line through 380 plate appearances in the minors.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Sent down Sunday
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Baker hasn't appeared in a game since July 5. He will get regular at-bats again at Memphis, where he's crushed to the tune of a .319/.433/.664 slash line and 22 homers in 64 games this season. His path to playing time is complicated by his defensive limitations, though Baker figures to get another opportunity before the end of the season, perhaps shortly after the trade deadline.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Summoned from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis on Monday. He'll serve as the Cardinals' designated hitter and No. 6 batter in Monday's series opener in Miami.
Baker was up with the Cardinals for a couple weeks last month but played sparingly, with most of his limited opportunities coming against left-handed pitching. St. Louis is slated to face a few southpaws this week, so he could see a handful of starts before the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Heads back to minors
Rotowire
The Cardinals optioned Baker to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
He'll move back to the minors to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for outfielder Lars Nootbaar (back), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Following his promotion from Memphis on June 4, Baker started at designated hitter in his first two games with the Cardinals, but he cracked the lineup just once in the team's subsequent 11 contests. He'll get the chance to play on a regular basis in his return to Triple-A.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Two hits in debut
Rotowire
Baker went 2-for-4 in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates.
Baker found some success in his major-league debut, as he was one of just three Cardinals to hit safely in the game. The first baseman has thrived with a refined approach at the plate this season, posting a 17.8 percent walk rate and 21.7 percent strikeout rate along with a .313/.434/.641 slash line and 18 home runs in 54 games with Triple-A Memphis. It's unclear how much playing time he'll get between first base and designated hitter -- he was at the latter position Sunday, and that may be his best path into the lineup. He may have to initially settle for a short-side platoon role, as it's unlikely Baker will hit well enough to cut into Paul Goldschmidt's playing time.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Another start at DH
Rotowire
Baker is starting at designated hitter and batting fifth on Monday versus the Rangers, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Baker collected two singles in his major-league debut Sunday in Pittsburgh and is back in there Monday against southpaw Martin Perez. Most of Baker's playing time could come versus lefties, although some DH at-bats could be had against righties, too, with Nolan Gorman playing more second base of late.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Gets first big-league promotion
Rotowire
The Cardinals selected Baker's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. He'll serve as St. Louis' designated hitter and No. 7 batter in his MLB debut in the Cardinals' series finale versus the Pirates and left-hander Rich Hill.
The 26-year-old earned his first big-league call-up after slashing .313/.434/.641 with 29 extra-base hits (18 home runs, 11 doubles) to go with an impressive 17.8 percent walk rate and 21.7 percent strikeout rate over 244 plate appearances with Memphis. Though his bat certainly looks big-league ready, Baker's lack of defensive flexibility may hurt his chances of earning a permanent role with the Cardinals. He's played only at first base in the minors, and with reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt already entrenched at that position, Baker's path to playing time will likely come solely at designated hitter. Baker is further hurt by the fact that he's a right-handed hitter, potentially relegating him to the short side of a platoon.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Leads Triple-A in home runs
Rotowire
Baker, 26, leads all Triple-A hitters with 14 home runs and has a .302/.436/.669 slash line in 39 games for Memphis.
The rule for players like Baker who will provide zero or negative defensive value is that they need to hit a lot at every level on their path to the majors, and Baker failed in that respect last year at Triple-A, slashing .228/.288/.394 in 124 games. However, he's been so good this season that he can't be completely written off as a Quadruple-A hitter. His 40 percent hard-hit rate and 11.6 percent soft-hit rate are excellent marks, and his 0.80 BB/K is the best ratio of his career. Even so, Baker is stuck behind Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Alec Burleson on the organizational depth chart at first base and designated hitter for now.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Transferred to Triple-A
Rotowire
Baker was promoted to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Baker returned from the injured list in early September and slashed .286/.333/.518 with three homers, eight runs and seven RBI across 13 games since then. Double-A Springfield has wrapped up its season, so the 24-year-old's promotion will allow him to get a few extra weeks of game action in Memphis prior to the end of the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Returns from IL
Rotowire
Baker has gone 2-for-8 with a pair of doubles and a run in his two games for Double-A Springfield since being reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.
The 24-year-old first baseman was sidelined for just over three weeks due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Baker has played exclusively at Springfield this season, hitting .241 with 23 home runs and 61 RBI in 80 games.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Luken Baker: Heads to COVID-19 IL
Rotowire
Double-A Springfield placed Baker on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday.
Springfield is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak among its roster, as six players were placed on the injured list Tuesday. The affiliate hasn't announced whether Baker's placement on the IL is the result of him testing positive for the coronavirus, or if he was merely identified as a close contact of an infected person or persons. Over 78 games with Springfield this season, Baker is slashing .247/.327/.545 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI.
Baker will join the Cardinals' big-league camp this spring.
Baker may get some at-bats against big-league pitching in the preseason, but he's not likely to be a candidate for regular-season at-bats just yet. He's yet to advance beyond High-A, where he hit .244/.327/.390 (good for a 115 wRC+) in 122 games for Palm Beach last season.
