Just as the Cardinals did with Jordan Walker by moving him to the outfield in 2022 when he was blocked at third base by Nolan Arenado, the club might consider a similar position swap with top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez if it gives him a smoother path to the big leagues.

Rodriguez, 19, is ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the Minor Leagues and No. 1 in the Cards’ system, per MLB Pipeline. Since being promoted from High-A Peoria to Double-A Springfield, Rodriguez is hitting .309 with a sterling .928 OPS and 15 homers, 19 doubles and 47 RBI. He has done all of that while catching for 40 games, playing at first base 15 games and serving as DH for 15 games.

Adding positional versatility to Rodriguez’s game is by design, Cardinals assistant GM for player development and performance Rob Cerfolio said this week while appearing on 101 ESPN St. Louis. In addition to wanting Rodriguez to have positional versatility, the Cardinals want their top hitting prospect to be well-rounded in terms of having strong preparation habits.

“(Rodriguez) is a young catcher that is learning a lot of the things that we’ve talked about and not just how he receives, throws or blocks the baseball,” Cerfolio said during the radio interview with Brandon Kiley and Alex Ferrario. “The game-planning components are real. To be able to walk into a Major League clubhouse and really earn trust and prepare the right way, so that a starter who is 10 years older than you and you have never worked with before and he walks away from the pitcher-catcher meeting and he’s like, ‘Man, that guy is dialed in and he really took the time to know what makes me great.’ Those are real skills and habits that you need to teach a young catcher.”

Cerfolio used rookie slugging sensation Joshua Báez as a player who arrived at the big leagues possessing strong positional versatility. Báez, who made Major League history last Saturday by homering in the first three at bats of his career, got promoted, in part, because he can play all three outfield positions – a point of emphasis this season when Báez started the season at Triple-A Memphis.

“With (Joshua) Báez, we had him playing all three positions in Triple-A in the outfield because you don’t know where that first Major League opportunity is going to come in a lineup card,” Cerfolio said. “So, our Minor League group and (director of player development Larry Day) and the group leading our Minor League operations is trying to prepare our players for optionality so when a spot opens up in left field in August, Josh Báez is ready to step in there confidently.”

Cerfolio hinted that the Cardinals could experiment with Rodriguez at a different position this offseason so that this path to the big leagues is not blocked. The Cardinals have catchers Ivan Herrera, Jimmy Crooks and Pedro Pages on the big-league roster, while Gold Glover Leonardo Bernal is starring as Triple-A Memphis’s catcher in 2026.

Could Rodriguez’s future be at first base or even third base in 2027 – something that could clear his path for a promotion to the big-league club some time next season?

“We’ve introduced first base to him this year, and there might be other positions that we add in the offseason as we continue to grow him and push him physically from an athleticism standpoint,” Cerfolio said. “You just want guys to have options so that it gives your Major League manager as many opportunities to get your best nine hitters in the lineup each night. That’s the questions that we’re asking ourselves every day and I don’t know what that answer is today. But those are some of the things that we’re thinking about to give ourselves optionality to get the best players in the lineup.”

Cerfolio noted that a player like Rodriguez with a high baseball and a teenaged body that is still maturing and growing could be a perfect candidate to handle more than one position.

“A lot of it comes down to, ‘Are they ready to go and play a different position?’” Cerfolio said. “Whether it’s third base or first base, that requires a different athleticism, mobility and athleticism than catching does. So, there are a lot of things in the offseason (that can be done).

“This is why it takes years to get these guys ready for the opportunity. Having this guy ready from a body composition, athleticism and movement efficiency standpoint so that he can not only stand over at third, but excel at those positions. And then, the next night, be behind the dish and really command the troops on the mound. So, those are all things we’re trying to spend a lot of time thinking through. It’s really more art than it is science. You’re trying to use all the pieces of what they’re doing in games, who they are athletically and what other people have done before that has allowed them to have versatility and stay healthy. Those are all the things we’re trying to think through and balance and just trying to read and react each day.”