Cardinals Minor League Road Trip: Reporting in from AutoZone Park and the Memphis Redbirds 5-13-26

By Sally Tippett Rains

We are in Memphis, Tennessee to check in on the Cardinals Triple A team, the Memphis Redbirds.

On the first day we were at AutoZone Park it was “Weather Day” and the stadium was filled with school children. We always enjoy seeing the kids having fun at the ballpark and when they called the name of Memphis Redbirds Designated Hitter Blaze Jordan, loud cheers came up from a group of the kids.  Jordan is from Southaven, Mississippi, which is only about 15 minutes from the ballpark, so his elementary school may have been one of those groups at the game.

The kids enjoyed getting their photos with Rocky the Memphis Redbirds mascot.

Top Prospects we are watching at Memphis this trip:

Five of the top prospects in the organization have begun the year at Memphis – outfielder Joshua Baez, catchers Leonardo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks and pitchers Quinn Mathews and Brycen Mautz.

One of the pitchers acquired over the winter from the Red Sox, Hunter Dobbins, also is in the Memphis rotation.

Here is the rundown on players to watch at this point in Memphis:

POSITION PLAYERS

Joshua Báez (OF):

We have been following Baez, since he was drafted in 2021 and he is regarded as one of the fastest baserunners and athletes in the Cardinals organization. Rob Rains wrote about him last year and how he started as a top prospect and lost his ranking for a bit but was able to get it back.  CLICK HERE.

At this point, he is having a great season. Báez has shown significant power, having hit multiple home runs in early May, including a 454-foot home run to center field on May 2.

Bryan Torres(2B, CF):

Rob Rains got a chance to sit down with Bryan Torres and talk to him. Torres has been doing well this season at Memphis as he tries to earn a spot on the Cardinals roster.

He has done everything he can to prove he deserves to be in the big leagues and he continues to do so. He’s a lefty who plays mostly second base and center field, but at this point the Cardinals don’t need help in that area.

He is among the league leaders in the International League in both batting average and on-base percentage for the second year in a row.

He is the player who came from Independent ball and we did a feature on him: CLICK HERE. 

We hope to get a new story on Bryan Torres up on STLSportsPage.com soon.

Leonardo Bernal (C):

Also called Leo Bernal, he is another one we have been watching and doing articles on. Yadier Molina also has his eye on Bernal and spent quite a bit of time watching him and talking to him about his catching while we were there. They are shown in the photo, left.

Bernal  is having a good year, and has been a consistent contributor in May, recording hits in multiple games, including a single on May 10 that drove in a run against the Norfolk Tides. Besides his hitting, Bernal is a defensive standout. He is a switch hitter who had a unconventional reason to start hitting from both sides when he was a young boy growing up in Panama.

That reason? He was too good as a right-handed hitter… playing against his younger brother Jose in the backyard of the family’s home. Bernal was dominating every game that they played, using a baseball made out of paper and tape and “short” bats.

To read Rob Rains’ story from 2025:  CLICK HERE.

Jimmy Crooks (C):

Catcher Jimmy Crooks is having a great season, ranking among the leaders in that category in all of AAA. He has hit 12 home runs so far this season to rank among all the leaders in triple A, as he makes a push to try to get promoted to the Cardinals.  As we are in Memphis in mid-May, he is one of the hottest hitters in the league getting him more experience and the everyday playing time that will serve him well when promoted.

Blaze Jordan (1B/3B):

Blaze Jordan, the  infielder who was acquired by the Cardinals in the deal that sent Steven Matz to the Red Sox last year was just named Minor League Player of the Month this week, by the Cardinals. Jordan has been a widely-known prospect since he won a home run derby in high school. Through early May, Jordan has shown significant development, with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 122 at-bats as of this writing. Last week he homered in back-to-back games. On Sunday he got hit by a pitch and was taken out of the game so we will be checking on his status.

PITCHERS

Quinn Mathews (LHP):  The left-handed Mathews, shown left, is not having the season he would want at this point.  He was the former minor league pitcher of the year two years ago, Mathews has been inconsistent so far at the Triple A level, battling command issues.

In his most recent start on Saturday, May 9, against the Toledo Mud Hens, he struggled, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits in a 13-6 loss. He walked two and struck out one, failing to get out of the second inning.

Brycen Mautz (LHP):  Brycen Mautz is an up-and -comer having been named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the year in 2025 when he was a part of the Texas League winning rotation at Springfield. He moved up to Memphis to begin this season.

Luis Gastelum (RHP): A highly ranked right-handed pitcher.  As of this week, Luis Gastelum is having an excellent start to his season with the Triple-A club.. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher has established himself as a dominant presence in the bullpen based on his performance through early May.

Gastelum uses teammate Joshua Baez as his interpreter. They are shown in the photo, right.  Gastelum is the one on the right.

Other things to note:

Richard Fitts is out for the season after undergoing surgery for a lat injury.

Packy Naughton is not in Memphis; we had hoped to see him. He had been on a great comeback from injury but unfortunately, he got hurt again

We didn’t think Tink Hence (RHP) would be here, because he has been reassigned to the Florida Complex League where he is supposed to be continuing his strengthening and conditioning program.  So it was a surprise to see Hence working out in Memphis. We saw him throwing a football, shown in the photo left, a common thing for baseball players to do to loosen up their arms.

At the end of last season Rob Rains wrote about Hence’s “frustrating” season, to read  CLICK HERE. 

We’re not really sure what’s going on with Hence. He can’t seem to get a handle on his velocity. One time his numbers will be really high and th next he’s pitching 86 miles per hour.

Rob got a chance to visit briefly with him and he will be talking more about the  conversation on this week’s podcast.

Who is Down on the Farm—Memphis Redbird Roster

There are so many names the Cardinals fans will recognize at Memphis, we thought we’d list them so you can see.

2026 Active Roster (May 12 Update)

Pitchers (RHP/LHP)

• Ian Bedell (RHP)
• Scott Blewett (RHP)
• Hunter Dobbins (RHP)
• Luis Gastelum (RHP)
• Skylar Hales (RHP)
• Max Rajcic (RHP)
• Bruce Zimmermann (LHP)

Catchers (C)

• Leonardo Bernal
• Jimmy Crooks
• Andy Yerzy

Infielders (INF)

• Blaze Jordan (1B)
• Ramon Mendoza
• Brody Moore
• Bryan Torres
• Miguel Villarroel

Outfielders (OF)

(Mike Antico was just released on Tuesday)

• Joshua Baez
• Matt Koperniak
• Colton Ledbetter
• Bligh Madris
• Nelson Velázquez

AutoZone Park in Memphis has been undergoing a major $55 million renovation project to modernize the facility and comply with Major League Baseball (MLB) standards. Many of the changes wont’ be noticed by the fans as they are repairs to the 25-year-old infrastructure, such as HVAC systems, lighting, and plumbing, as well as upgrading concessions and fan experience areas.

The ballpark is just a few blocks from the famous Beale Street, so there is always something happening in the area. Memphis is just a five hour trip from St. Louis. The address to AutoZone Park is: 200 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103. The stadium is downtown, and we always feel safe when going to AutoZone Park.

While there are a few downtown hotels near the stadium, we like staying at the Horn Lake, Mississippi Drury Hotel which is not a far drive. It takes us maybe 20 minutes and we know we are getting a good, quality hotel—with free breakfast and dinner. If you choose the Drury, be sure you use our promocode SPORTS. Here’s the link: CLICK HERE.