The Cardinals are calling up , reports . Theyll select his contract onto the 40-man roster tomorrow. St. Louis has a pair of openings on the 40-man, so theyll only need to make a corresponding active roster transaction. Rocky Colavito Jersey Prieto, a left-handed hitting infielder, gets his first big league opportunity at age 26. He didnt begin his affiliated career until he was 22 years old. Hes a Cuba native who played four seasons in that nations top league before defecting while on an Olympic trip in 2021. He signed a $650K bonus with the Orioles and began his U.S. career with their High-A affiliate a year later. The Os traded Prieto to St. Louis as part of a three-player return for at the 2023 trade deadline. His prospect stock dropped between 2023-24 as he posted unspectacular numbers at Triple-A. Prieto has performed well in his third season at the top minor league level. Hes batting .295/.359/.448 with nine homers and 11 steals acro s 449 plate appearances. Prietos calling card is his plus contact ability. He hasnt struck out in more than 15.2% of his plate appearances at any minor league stop. He has fanned just 13.4% of the time this season. Prieto has a very aggre sive offensive approach and often expands the strike zone. Hes not going to take many walks or hit for much power, but the bat-to-ball skills should allow him to hit for average. ranked him the #25 prospect in the St. Louis system last month, projecting him as a utility infielder. The Cardinals have used him at second base, third base and shortstop in the minors. Scouting reports suggest hes a fringe defender who doesnt have a huge arm. He probably fits best at the keystone but could see action throughout the infield. He would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Cards didnt add him to the 40-man roster. It appears they were planning to select his contract during the winter, so theyll bring him up a bit ahead of time for his first exposure to big league pitching. St. Louis is using , and from right to left on the infield. Winn has played through a sore left knee for much of the second half. He acknowledged earlier this week that hed probably benefit from rest but said he wanted to remain in the lineup in hope of a long shot playoff berth (relayed by ). The Cardinals are 6.5 games back of the Mets with three teams to surpa s in the Wild Card race. Its not yet known if theyll shut Winn down or simply swap Prieto in for one of or on the bench. Mickey Stanley Jersey