The Cuban infielder César Prieto received his third call to the Major Leagues this Tuesday, as the St. Louis Cardinals added him to the active roster to fill the vacancy left by Lars Nootbaar.
Nootbaar was traded on Monday to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the MLB trade deadline, in a move that brought St. Louis right-hander Daniel Eagen —the fifth prospect from Arizona—, left-hander Sandro Santana, and a player to be named later, as confirmed by journalist Francys Romero.
Prieto, born in Cienfuegos on May 10, 1999, arrives at this third call-up after an inconsistent season between the majors and Triple-A Memphis.
His MLB debut took place on August 29, 2025, when he became the 33rd Cuban to participate in a regular season of Major League Baseball.
That first stint was brief and inconspicuous: just six at-bats, one hit, and five strikeouts, resulting in a batting average of .167, before being sent back to the minors on September 5.
The second call came on May 4 of this year, supported by explosive numbers in Triple-A: a batting average of .311, six home runs, and 14 RBIs in 106 at-bats, with an OPS of .923.
However, that second chance also did not yield results: 17 at-bats without a single hit in his return to the big leagues.
Now, with this third call-up, Prieto will have a new opportunity to prove that his performance in the minor leagues can be translated to the highest level of professional baseball.
The journey of the Cienfueguero to the Cardinals was not an easy one. In May 2021, he left the Cuban national team in Miami during the pre-Olympic baseball tournament, a decision that the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation (INDER) of Cuba publicly condemned.
He signed with the Baltimore Orioles in January 2022 and joined the St. Louis organization on August 1, 2023, as part of the trade that sent pitcher Jack Flaherty to Baltimore.
In his minor league career, he has a batting average of .294, with 44 home runs, 253 runs batted in, and 31 stolen bases.
The Cardinals' manager, Oli Mármol, had expressed his confidence in the Cuban in December 2025: "He has quite a few chances for 2026."
Related videos:
Filed under: