Postcard from Cardinals spring training camp for Monday, Feb. 23, 2026
Result: Cardinals 5, Marlins 4
Weather: Sunny, 59 degrees
By Rob Rains
JUPITER, Fla. – With the uncertainty of when Lars Nootbaar will be fully recovered from his off-season surgery, left field is one of the few positions open to competition in the Cardinals’ camp this spring.
Jose Fermin’s goal is to prove that he can do the job.
Fermin made his second start, in the first three games of the spring, in left field on Monday while also driving in a run with a single and stealing a base.
Despite the fact he has only logged 25 career innings in the outfield in the majors, Fermin said he feels comfortable playing the position.
“They kind of told me I would probably see some more action out there and I came ready,” Fermin said. “I know I can play any position but I put a big effort on it this off-season.”
Normally an infielder, Fermin is one of four players in the left-field competition, along with Nathan Church, Thomas Saggese and Nelson Velesquez, in camp on a non-roster invitation.
Saggese, like Fermin, is normally an infielder with no career outfield experience. His only start in the first three games came at shortstop but he said he expects to get a start in left field soon, before he leaves camp next weekend to join team Italy for the World Baseball Classic.
Fermin said the game reps, plus just shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice, has aided his adjustment to the position.
“I like it,” he said. “My first game out there did not feel weird or uncomfortable. I’ve kept working on it. I want to be ready for it.
“I really don’t know the plan but whatever they need from me … I try to be out there as much as I can.”
Here is how Monday’s game broke down:
High: The Cardinals, behind several minor-leaguers, rallied from a 4-2 deficit with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Marlins 5-4. The winning run scored on a wild pitch.
Low: JJ Wetherholt committed his second error in as many games and also made a baserunning mistake.
At the plate: The Cardinals had only three hits before the winning rally in the ninth, which started with a walk after the first two batters had struck out … Wetherholt did draw two walks and stole a base … Tai Peete, the minor-league outfielder acquired from Seattle in the Brendan Donovan trade, got into the game playing center field but went 0-of-2 at the plate.
On the mound: Michael McGreevy allowed two hits over his two innings, including a leadoff home run … JoJo Romero hit a batter and walked another, leading to a run, in his inning in relief … Brycen Mautz worked two scoreless innings, pitching around a pair of walks.
Worth noting: The home run off McGreevy should come with an asterisk, he said, because the umpires started the game using batting-practice baseballs. “We were using the wrong bucket of balls,” he said. “There were scuffs and the balls were just messed up. We weren’t using gamers for the first batter. Not an excuse but it was something to laugh about.”
Up next: The Cardinals will play their first night game of the spring on Tuesday, facing the Nationals in West Palm Beach in a 6:05 p.m. ET game . Andre Pallante will make his first start.
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