Leo Bernal, who hit .278 with 16 homers, 19 doubles and 77 RBI in 101 games with Triple-A Memphis, is being promoted to the Cardinals, per a report by international baseball writer Francys Romero. Bernal is the No. 7 ranked prospect in the Cardinals' Minor League system.
Continuing to show the kind of gradual improvement that the Cardinals’ organization has expected of him for years, Leo Bernal delivered a solid season at Triple-A Memphis to put himself in position for a potential big-league call-up.
The promotion that would set the stage for Bernal’s MLB debut could become official by Tuesday when the Cardinals take on the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Bernal, who has racked up 16 homers, 19 doubles and 77 RBI in 101 games at Triple-A Memphis, is being promoted by the Cardinals to the big-league club, international baseball reporter Francys Romero reported on Monday morning.
Bernal, 22, was pulled from Memphis’ game at Charlotte after one at bat in Charlotte on Sunday. The Cardinals, 68-70 after dropping seven of their last 10 games, are off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday night against the Dodgers.
Bernal, the organization’s No. 7-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, will join MLB’s youngest roster. Cardinals’ rookies have gone to the plate for 1,545 at bats this season – already the third most by first-year players in the storied history of the ballclub. Also, Cardinals’ rookies have appeared in 486 games this season, third most in MLB.
Hancel Rincon, a 24-year-old right-hander, is also expected to be promoted by the Cardinals once the rosters expand to 28 on September 1. Rincon is 6-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 42 games (three starts) with Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. In Triple A, he has recorded 88 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings pitched. He's been especially good against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .174 batting average with 50 strikeouts against southpaws.
Bernal also joins a crowded catching group – a position that could see a roster move made to make room for the 6-foot, 245-pound catcher from Panama. Jimmy Crooks has appeared in 52 games as a rookie, while Pedro Pages (72 games) and Ivan Herrera (48 games) have filled in at other times.
The Cardinals have been unable to find much steady production from their catchers on either side of the ball. Their catchers have combined for just 43 RBI, last in the National League. Their catching corps rank 12th in homers (12), 12th in OPS (.669), 13th in slugging (.356), sixth in on-base percentage (.313) and ninth in batting average (.229).
Defensively, Cardinals’ catchers have thrown out just 17 base stealers, which ties them for 17th in MLB. In terms of Outs Above Average defensively, the Cards’ minus-two rating ranks 18th in MLB. Pages is above the MLB league average (29 percent) in throwing out base runners (14 of 44, 32 percent), but Herrera (1 of 31, 0.03 percent) and Crooks (1 of 11, 1 percent) have lagged badly in slowing opposing running games.
Bernal won a Minor League Gold Glove for his defense behind the plate at Double-A Springfield in 2025, but he hasn’t performed as well back there this season. In 2026, he has nine errors and five passed balls and he’s thrown out just 27.4 percent of base stealers. In his 5 ½-year career in the Minor Leagues, Bernal has thrown out 29.7 percent of base stealers.
Even while teaming with dynamic slugger Joshua Baez, Bernal was Memphis’ best hitter in July – a month when he hit .338 with a 1.143 OPS. He smacked six homers, seven doubles and a triple in the month, while also driving in 24 runs. He cooled off in August (.278 batting average, .748 OPS, two homers, a double and 13 RBI), but his body of work over the season was apparently strong enough to earn him a big-league promotion.
