The youth movement keeps coming. The St. Louis Cardinals selected the contract of corner infielder Blaze Jordan from Triple-A Memphis on Friday, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the 23-year-old is in tonight’s lineup — batting eighth and playing third base against the Twins at Target Field. First pitch is 8:10 p.m. ET.
Jordan forced the issue — and the arc makes it sweeter. After the trade that brought him to St. Louis last July, he stumbled to a .198 average in his first 41 games at Memphis. He came back this season and conquered the same level: .313/.373/.548 with 11 home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts (19:29) across 57 games, earning the organization’s Minor League hitter of the month honors in April. By June, he was arguably the hottest prospect in the system. With Nolan Gorman battling all season to get going, the Cardinals handed the hot corner to the kid who has been mashing — Gorman heads to Memphis in the corresponding move.
This is a 2026 photo of Blaze Jordan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. This image reflects the Cardinals’ active roster as of Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Jordan was a viral youth slugger before he could drive, famous for tape-measure home runs as a teenager in Southaven, Mississippi. Chaim Bloom drafted him for the Red Sox in the third round in 2020 — and five years later, Bloom’s Cardinals front office brought him back into the fold in the Steven Matz deadline deal. Eleven months after that, the bet pays off on a Friday night in Minneapolis.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman swings at a pitch during a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, May 8, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Cardinals fans, meet your new infield: Jordan Walker. Masyn Blaze Winn. Blaze Jordan. That is not a typo, a glitch, or a prank by the graphics department. St. Louis is now running out three young stars whose names are just two first names, one middle name, and zero new ideas — the front office that drafted a Jordan and a Blaze went out and traded for a Blaze Jordan. The pipeline is so deep it’s started repeating itself. Wetherholt, Winn, Walker, Church, Crooks, and now Jordan have the Cardinals (37–29) in the thick of the NL Central race — and Joshua Baez is still loading.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Joshua Baez singles during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals’ Jordan Walker celebrates after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against Texas Rangers Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In the other moves: right-hander Chris Roycroft was recalled, Hunter Dobbins heads to Memphis after Thursday’s start in Queens, and Ramón Urías shifts to the 60-day injured list to clear the 40-man spot.
How To Watch
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET (7:10 CT)
Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis
TV: Cardinals.TV · KMOV-4 (St. Louis) · Twins.TV (Minnesota)
Radio: KMOX 1120 AM / 104.1 FM
On the mound: Kyle Leahy (5–3, 4.42 ERA) against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (4–3, 3.07). Ryan is a tough welcome-to-the-show draw — 84 strikeouts and a fastball that lives at the top of the zone. The Cardinals arrive in Minneapolis as one of the hottest teams in baseball, and tonight the youth movement gets one player deeper. Blaze Jordan has hit everywhere he’s ever played. We find out if Minneapolis is next.
TARPS UP!
