Redbird Minor League Weekly: Rodriguez Scorches September, Dos Santos Hits for Power at 18
By Caleb Hughes ·
Redbird Minor League Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Cardinals farm system.
Rodriguez Keeps Scorching Double-A in September
Rainiel Rodriguez (AA, C, Rank: 1) keeps taking the front page real estate. The Cardinal slugger went 10-for-23 with a double, a home run, 4 RBI, 2 walks, and a hit-by-pitch this week at Springfield, adding to a remarkable month-long stretch in the system. Over the last 30 days at Double-A, he is slashing .420/.500/.750 across 106 plate appearances with 7 home runs, 8 doubles, and 24 RBI. The contact rate over that span sits at 75.4 percent at a swing rate just under 50 percent, meaning he is hunting strikes, not chasing, and still doing real damage when he connects. For the season across Double-A and High-A combined, Rodriguez is hitting .323/.413/.564 with 25 home runs, 30 doubles, and a 19.0 K% across 521 plate appearances. He is 19 years old.
The 60 power tool has always been the selling point, but the staying power of this run is that the contact feel is moving with it. A 75.4 contact rate over a 30-day stretch while posting a .750 slugging percentage is not a contact hitter in a lucky groove; it is someone who is making better decisions than the scouting comp currently credits. His 55 hit grade may already be underselling the current version. The honest concerns remain behind the plate, where a 45 field grade, below-average mobility, and developing receiving mechanics leave open the question of whether he stays a catcher long-term. If he moves, the offensive bar climbs and the ceiling conversation changes. For now, a 19-year-old catcher who has put up a .500 on-base percentage over a month of Double-A action is operating in a category that does not have many recent inhabitants at this level and age.
Dos Santos Flashes Pop in Limited Reps at Palm Beach
Sebastian Dos Santos (A, SS, Rank: 14) packed a lot into 10 plate appearances this week: 3 hits, a double, 2 home runs, 2 RBI, and 2 walks. The sample is too small to carry rate stats, but the shape of the performance matters. Over the last 30 days at Palm Beach, he is slashing .333/.500/.722 across 76 plate appearances with 6 home runs, a 22.4 BB%, and a K% of 17.1. That walk rate is not a blip; his combined 2026 BB% sits at 18.0 percent across 367 plate appearances, with 28 stolen bases thrown in. The power is newer: his 2025 rookie-ball line featured zero home runs across 92 plate appearances, so the 16 he has combined in 2026 represent a genuine developmental step forward.
He is a switch-hitter with a 60 speed tool and strike-zone awareness well beyond his age, and the emerging power gives him offensive avenues that a pure-speed middle infielder does not have. The contact rate (68.4 percent on the season, 70.1 over the last 30 days) leaves some swing-and-miss risk as competition sharpens, and the defensive projection at shortstop remains unsettled, with second base the safer long-term bet. But an 18-year-old posting a 22.4 BB% with 6 home runs in a month of Single-A action, while stealing bases at will, is checking boxes that the utility projection currently attached to him may be selling short. He profiles as a potential second-division regular at second base if the contact holds against better arms, and weeks like this one keep that ceiling alive.
Quick Hits
Mason Molina (AAA, LHP, Rank: 52) · turned in his best outing of the Triple-A stretch this week: 6 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, with 13 whiffs on 72 pitches. His last 30 days at Memphis have been a genuine turnaround: 1.93 ERA over 23.1 innings with a 36.2 K% and a 9.6 BB%. That is a significant departure from his season ERA of 5.32 at Triple-A, though his Double-A numbers (2.87 ERA, 28.8 K%) suggested the stuff was always there. The season-long concern is the 40 command grade, and one good stretch does not retire it, but a left-handed starter sitting 92-94 with a 55 slider who is throwing like this in September is at minimum making the up-down conversation harder to dismiss.
Liam Doyle (AA, LHP, Rank: 6) · went 5 innings, allowed 1 hit and 2 runs, walked 2, and struck out 5 while generating 10 whiffs on 73 pitches. The 2 earned runs are the blemish on an otherwise strong surface line. His last 30 days at Springfield: 1.71 ERA across 26.1 innings, 30 strikeouts, a 10.9 BB%, and a WHIP of 0.87. For the season he is at 3.76 with a 30.0 K% in 103 innings. The 60 fastball and 60 slider are bat-missing at Double-A, and the 30-day run suggests the command (graded 50) is trending toward that mark. The changeup still needs to become more than a third option before the mid-rotation projection fully materializes, but September has looked like a pitcher pulling things together at the right time.
Jurrangelo Cijntje (AAA, RHP, Rank: 15) · covered 5.2 innings with 4 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts, generating 11 whiffs on 90 pitches. His last 30 days sit at a 3.33 ERA across 24.1 innings with a 6.9 BB% and 32.4 K%, a notable improvement on his season ERA of 5.27 at Memphis. The switch-pitch profile and 60 fastball give him outs to get even when the command (40) wanders, and the strikeout rate supports the stuff grades. The walk rate over the last month is the cleanest it has looked all year at Triple-A.
Jesus Baez (AA, SS, Rank: 19) · went 7-for-23 with a double, 2 home runs, and 8 RBI this week, his 26th and 27th home runs at Double-A. Over the last 30 days he is slashing .360/.392/.686 with 8 home runs and 28 RBI in 97 plate appearances. The 60 power tool is playing loudly, and a 76.5 contact rate over that stretch shows the aggressive swing (57.7 percent swing rate) is connecting at a usable clip. The 4.1 BB% at Double-A this season is the profile: Baez is not going to take many free passes, and disciplined pitching staffs will test that. For now, 38 home runs and 108 RBI on the combined season is a power statement worth noting.
Cade Crossland (A+, LHP, Rank: 36) · pitched 5.2 innings, gave up 5 hits and 1 run, walked 2, struck out 4, and logged 13 whiffs. His last 30 days at Peoria are his cleanest stretch of the year: 1.31 ERA across 20.2 innings with a 30.5 K% and a 12.2 BB%. The season ERA of 1.42 at High-A across 25.1 innings is eye-catching given a rough time at Single-A earlier (5.38 ERA, 17.9 BB%). The 60 changeup is the carrying tool, and it has played well at this level. Command (45) still needs to sharpen before a Double-A date arrives, but the month-long run suggests the promotion is working.
Tai Peete (AA, OF, Rank: 18) · returned from the injured list September 9 after missing time with an unspecified injury and went 3-for-5 in his first game back. At Double-A this season he is slashing .341/.385/.529 across 91 plate appearances with 3 home runs and 4 stolen bases, following a strong High-A run (.300/.370/.611 with 10 home runs). The return appearance was encouraging, and getting him back into regular reps in September matters for a player who has posted those kinds of numbers across two levels.
Cooper Hjerpe (MLB, LHP, Rank: 46) · was recalled to St. Louis this week, his first time at the major league level. He posted a 0.95 ERA across 19 innings at Triple-A Memphis before the call, striking out 27 and walking 17 in 5 starts. His first MLB outing covered 4 innings with 6 strikeouts and no walks. The 2026 Memphis run was the cleanest stretch of a season that also included stops at both A and Double-A, and the September call gives him a chance to audition before next spring.
Deniel Ortiz (AA, 3B, Rank: 27) · added 6 hits, a home run, a walk haul of 4, and an RBI in 22 plate appearances this week. His last 30 days at Double-A: .308/.383/.564 with 5 home runs, a 10.6 BB%, and a contact rate of 82 percent. That contact rate is a meaningful uptick from his season contact figure and sits well above the swing-and-miss concern (the strikeout worry has been 18-24 percent at various levels). A 55 power grade with those contact trends at Double-A keeps the second-division path credible.
Alexander Frias (A, LF, Rank: 10) · had a week at Palm Beach: 2 hits and 3 walks in 13 plate appearances, with 4 strikeouts and no extra bases. Over the last 30 days his contact rate sits at 67.1 percent with a K% of 25.9, which is where the concern lives for an 18-year-old with swing length questions. His combined season numbers across levels (.314/.405/.500) are genuinely good for his age, and the power-speed combination gives him real tools to work with. Single-A competition will be this sharp at times, and three walks in the same week show the zone awareness is still there.
Trevor Condon (A, OF, Rank: 4) · was placed on the 7-day injured list at Palm Beach on September 4. No injury diagnosis has been confirmed. He was hitting .321/.387/.536 across 31 plate appearances at Single-A this season in a brief sample before the placement. With just 31 PA at the level and an unspecified IL stint, the timing is unfortunate for a player who has not had much opportunity to build a full-season sample. Worth tracking when he returns.