Cardinals' Rookie Has No Plans to Stop Working at Big-League Level

After spending 11 years in the Minor Leagues and even Independent League Baseball before making his MLB debut, Bryan Torres almost immediately caught the eye of his St. Louis Cardinals’ teammates and coaches with his indefatigable work ethic.

Known for arriving at the stadium regularly an hour before players were required to be there, Torres would often get in two workouts before games to try and give himself every chance of performing well in the opportunity he dreamed of for more than decade.

Torres, 29, simply wanted to give himself the best chance to success at the big-league level after all the struggles that he endured just to put himself in the position to be on the Cardinals’ roster.

“My mindset has always been one of pushing, pushing and pushing and always wanting more for myself,” said Torres, one of 13 St. Louis players to make their MLB debut in 2026. “There are a lot of things in this game that are out of your control, but the way that I am built is to work and keep pushing. I still think I have a lot to prove. It took me 11 years to get here, so it’s probably going to take more than one year to prove what I can do. I’m still adapting myself to this league, but I want to make sure that I give 100 percent of myself every day.”

When his MLB debut did finally come on May 23 in Cincinnati, it resembled something straight off a Hollywood movie set. With his mother and other family members in the crowd after flying in from Puerto Rico, Torres brought out the waterworks with what he did at the plate. After singling early in the game for his first big-league hit, Torres pulled a pitch over the wall in right field to send family members dancing in the seats. To this day, he still thinks about his debut and the emotions that coursed through his veins.

“It was a dream and something that every young kid grows up wanting to do,” said Torres, who had a double, two triples and four home runs in his 74 games with the Cardinals in 2026. “The only difference is that it took me 11 years to make that dream come true. So, that moment comes up a lot in family conversations, talks with friends and I still think about it a lot.”    

Not one to ever sit around, Torres plans to work on his game through the offseason while playing Winter League ball. He hopes to get more reps in center field and third base to make himself even more versatile. Showing up early and staying late are the only ways he knows how to approach his dream-come-true job.

“What all these years have taught me is that what you do off the field (during ground ball sessions and batting practice), that’s what you are going to do on the field,” he said. “If you put in the work the right way, you don’t ever have to worry about what might happen. Being well prepared is going to make you play your best baseball on the field when it matters.”