photo: Hendrick Caña (Instagram)
The St. Louis Cardinals minor league system was 0-2 on Thursday. The Cardinal Nation’s Player of the Day, FCL Cardinals LHP Hendrick Caña, pitched three scoreless relief innings with five strikeouts. Other standouts: Andru Arthur, Facundo Velásquez, Beiker Rodríguez and Misael Sánchez.
Results for games played on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Memphis Redbirds (off day)
The Triple-A Memphis Redbirds return from the All-Star Break on Friday, when they will begin a three-game home series with the Iowa Cubs.
The Redbirds will look to gain momentum after the break following a 4-2 series loss at Gwinnett.
Outfielder Joshua Báez continues to showcase a powerful bat. The 22-year-old leads the International League in home runs (28) and RBI (69) while also having tallied the most steals on the Redbirds (14). Báez also leads the team in hits at 82.
César Prieto has put together a solid season with the Redbirds. The infielder is hitting .300 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI to complement 25 walks.
On the mound, Quinn Mathews has totaled the most strikeouts at 97 across 79 innings with a solid 3.53 ERA to anchor the Memphis rotation. Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje was promoted to the team following a strong stretch of starts in Double-A to bolster the Triple-A pitching staff.
Memphis is 7-11 in the second half and 54-39 on the season. They are tied for last place in the International League West Division.
Friday’s game: vs. Iowa Cubs (CHC). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM CT.
Springfield Cardinals (off day)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals return from the All-Star Break on Friday, when they will resume the season with a three-game home series with the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
The Cardinals enter the weekend following a series split at the Tulsa Drillers.
Ryan Campos has provided a strong bat for the team and holds the team lead in RBI (47) and home runs (10). Campos’s 15 doubles are second-best on the team.
Won-Bin Cho has displayed strong power and run production in his first 15 games of Double-A baseball. Cho has pounded nine home runs with 18 RBI in the small sample size, skyrocketing to second place on the team in home runs. Jesús Báez swung a hot bat across High-A and Double-A in June, including a nine-game hitting streak to open the month along with seven home runs and 21 RBI, among other achievements. Báez earned the organization’s Player of the Month honors for June.
Our Minor League Player of the Month is INF Jesús Báez!
Báez, 21, slashed .323/.378/.708 with 7 HR, 4 doubles, 21 RBI, 16 runs and a 1.086 OPS across 17 games with Peoria (A+) and Springfield (AA).
He had a 9-game hitting streak to begin the month (12-game streak overall) and… pic.twitter.com/ZLncSTt6gt
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) July 13, 2026
On the mound, Jurrangelo Cijntje has found his footing in recent starts. The switch-pitcher has struck out a team-best 100 hitters and has thrown six innings in each of his last four starts, not allowing more than two runs in that time. Cijntje has also logged the most innings on the team at 80 ⅓. His recent performances earned him a promotion to Triple-A.
Springfield is 12-6 in the second half and 43-43 overall after the series split in Tulsa. They hold a one-game lead in the Texas League North Division.
Friday’s game: vs. Amarillo (AZ). RHP Chen-Wei Lin (3-3, 4.34) vs. TBA. 7:05 PM CT.
Peoria Chiefs (off day)
The High-A Peoria Chiefs return on Friday from the All-Star Break, when they will begin a three-game road set with the South Bend Cubs.
Peoria enters the week after taking just two of six from the Quad Cities River Bandits on the road.
On offense, Jalin Flores leads the Chiefs with 57 RBI and has also hit 10 home runs. Flores and José Suárez are tied for the team lead in hits (71), with Josh Kross one behind. Kross and Cade McGee lead players currently on the roster with 11 home runs each.
On the mound, Yhoiker Fajardo holds the lowest ERA among starters at 3.82 across 63 ⅔ innings in 15 games (13 starts) and has tallied the most strikeouts on the staff at 86. Leonel Sequera is second on the team in Ks at 81.
Peoria is 8-12 in the second half and 40-46 overall. The Chiefs are in fifth place in the Midwest League West Division.
Friday’s game: at South Bend (CHC). TBA vs. LHP Ethan Flanagan (2-3, 3.72) 6:05 PM CT.
Palm Beach Cardinals (off day)
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals return from the All-Star Break on Friday, when they will begin a three-game home series with the St. Lucie Mets.
The Cardinals enter the week with a half-game lead over Daytona in the Florida State League East Division.
Yordalin Peña holds the team lead in home runs (12) and is tied with Ryan Weingartner for the team lead in RBI (49). Peña has tallied a team-best 67 hits, with Weingartner three behind in hits and one behind in home runs. Ryan Mitchell has drawn the most walks on the team at 67.
On the mound, left-hander Cade Crossland has thrown a team-high 62 ⅓ innings across 16 appearances and 15 starts, striking out a team-best 91 in that time. Crossland has also won four contests.
Jack Martinez is the second Palm Beach pitcher to cross the 80-strikeout mark, now at 86 on the season. Martinez is second on the team at 60 ⅔ innings pitched with a 4.30 ERA. Dylan Driessen has pitched to a strong 2.30 ERA over 31 ⅓ innings across 24 relief outings with 43 strikeouts.
Palm Beach is 12-8 in the second half and 45-41 overall.
Friday’s game: vs. St. Lucie (NYM). Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM CT.
FCL Cardinals 2 at FCL Mets 3 (7 innings)
The Florida Complex League Cardinals dropped a close contest at the FCL Mets on Thursday.
Ixan Henderson started for the Cardinals in a rehab outing, as he works to rejoin the Triple-A club. The left-hander threw one inning and allowed three runs on four hits, one walk, and no strikeouts, taking the loss.
Yordy Herrera tossed a scoreless second inning in relief of Henderson. Joseph King followed with a scoreless frame in his first rehab appearance, as he works to rejoin Peoria. Hendrick Caña struck out five across three shutout innings of one-hit baseball.
The FCL Mets scored a run in the bottom of the first and added two in the second to move ahead 3-0.
The Cardinals entered the run column in the third. Yeferson Portolatin singled and Miguel Hernández walked to open the frame. Royelny Strop grounded into a forceout, with Hernández out at second base. J.P. Cabrera lined a single to bring Portolatin home and put the Cardinals on the board at 3-1.
The Cardinals narrowed the gap to one in the fourth. Daniel Rojas walked and stole second base. Rojas took third on a groundout from Facundo Velásquez and crossed home plate on an Andru Arthur double to bring the Cardinals closer at 3-2.
Down to their last three outs, the Cardinals looked to rally. Portolatin walked and advanced to second on a balk. Hernández walked. Portolatin moved to third on a flyout, but the rally fell short.
The FCL Cardinals scored two runs on seven hits. Portolatin was 2-for-3, including a walk and a run scored. Arthur doubled and drove in a run. Cabrera singled and notched an RBI. Velásquez went 2-for-3 with a double. Hernández drew three walks. The lineup was just 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
On the bases, Rojas stole his seventh base. The Cardinals did not commit an error.
The FCL Cardinals are 18-29 on the season. They will have a rematch with the Mets at home on Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. FCL Mets. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT.
DSL Cardinals 3 at DSL Marlins 4 (7 innings)
The Dominican Summer League Cardinals were walked off by the DSL Marlins on Thursday.
Beiker Rodríguez made his first professional start for the Cardinals. The right-hander pitched four innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits, no walks, and one strikeout.
Jhon Cabrera yielded a run across 2 ⅔ innings in relief of Rodríguez, taking the loss. The day his signing was announced, newest DSL Cardinal Rayner Reyes made his organizational debut in a tight situation. It did not go as hoped as the right-hander allowed the walk off hit without recording an out. Reyes, 20, is a former Mets farmhand given an unusual second chance by the Cardinals.
The Marlins grabbed a 3-0 lead with one run in the bottom of the second and two more in the third.
The Cardinals plated two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Michael Cordero and Misael Sánchez singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Diego Conseción grounded a single into center field to score Cordero and Sánchez and bring the Cardinals within a run at 3-2.
The Cardinals knotted the game at three in the sixth. Sánchez walked and Conseción singled. Lucas Takahashi took a free pass to load the bases with no outs. Christopher Vargas connected for a single to bring Sánchez home. Back-to-back strikeouts and a forceout prevented the Cardinals from taking the lead.
The Marlins scored a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to walk off the win.
The DSL Cardinals scored three runs on eight hits, all singles. Conseción and Vargas collected two hits and an RBI. Sánchez walked, scored twice, and tallied two hits.
The Cardinals did not steal a base.
On defense, second baseman Jesús Pérez made a throwing error. Pitcher Rodríguez picked two runners off first base.
The DSL Cardinals are 14-17 on the season. They will play the Marlins at home on Friday.
Friday’s game: vs. DSL Marlins. Pitching probables have not yet been announced. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM CT.
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