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CINCINNATI — The motivation behind their swap of utility fielders Monday was, the Cardinals’ manager explained, to get prospect Thomas Saggese assured playing time they could not promise in the majors.

What playing time they have planned for his replacement presents some intrigue.

Just in time to face the Reds, the Cardinals promoted former Cincinnati No. 1-ranked prospect Jose Barrero on Monday. To clear a spot for him on the active roster, the Cardinals optioned Saggese to Class AAA Memphis, where he’ll be a priority everyday player at a variety of positions. The Cardinals designated reliever Ryan Loutos for assignment so they could add Barrero to the 40-player roster.

Barrero, 27, is a gifted fielder who has been agile at shortstop for the Triple-A Redbirds and reliable in center. He brings a streak of 18 consecutive games reaching base safely into his big-league promotion. And Barrero offers a backup to Masyn Winn in the infield, and his right-handed bat and power upside is something the Cardinals have not had in center this season.

“This is more about Saggese not going to get into the lineup as much, and he’s the type of player with his age and his skill set he needs to play every day and continue to learn the game, get at-bats, play defense, multiple positions,� manager Oliver Marmol said. “That was going to be tough to do here. It was more about getting Saggese playing time Triple-A than anything else.�

Yet, Barrero is not the move of least resistance.

The Cardinals had to add the former prospect to their roster and risk losing pitching depth, and Barrero is out of options. Any attempt to return him to the minors will give other teams a chance to claim him off waivers.

“He gives us the most flexibility as a right-handed bat that can play the infield and outfield,� Marmol said. “He’s going to continue to work on spin and laying off the ones he can’t do anything with and getting on the ones and swinging through the ones that he should do something with.�

Signed by the Reds as a teenager out of Havana, Cuba, Barrero was their top-rated prospect going into the 2022 season. He made his big league debut in August 2020 at Great American Ball Park, and on Monday recalled living near the ballpark and frequenting places he could get Latin food. He appeared in 139 games total for the Reds, and his strikeout rate presented a speed bump his glove could not overcome. He hit .186 with 163 strikeouts in 415 at-bats.

Shortening his swing and channeling his athleticism toward contact was the Cardinals’ goal all spring. He made strides with it. Asked Monday if he was a different play, he nodded.

“Totally,� he said in Spanish. “Especially mindset.�

Saggese, 23, played 14 games for the Cardinals after his call-up to cover games during Winn’s recovery from back soreness. Saggese hit .342 with a .512 slugging percentage. A hit at the plate, he had some missteps on the bases that he acknowledged. He’ll continue to play third, short and second in Memphis to ready for a utility role upon his return.

The Cardinals considered Barrero for the opening-day roster but opted to keep him as the option at shortstop if needed to fill in for a lengthy stretch. In 23 games for Memphis, Barrero hit .299 with a .396 on-base percentage and .517 slugging percentage. He had 10 extra-base hits and at least two mammoth homers for Memphis. His ability is tantalizing and his defense is strong, but strikeouts undermine his bid to be an everyday player. At Class AAA, he had more strikeouts (27) than hits (26) through 87 at-bats.

Barrero’s most recent appearance in the majors was on June 14, 2023, for the Reds.

He was asked what drove him in that time.

“Competing every day,� he said in English. “Win. That’s the mentality. That’s the most important thing, and if you win everything is going to be right.� 

Hamilton’s author teases Molina movie

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the superstar writer and creator behind the musicals “Hamilton� and “In the Heights,� revealed in an interview released last weekend that he’s working on a movie about the Molina brothers — Cardinals’ great Yadier, Cardinals broadcaster Bengie and their fellow big league catcher and big brother Jose.

Miranda told Jennifer Mercedes of La Chica Desportes that the idea came from celebrating Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, where Miranda’s father and the Molina brothers are from.

“Vega Alta is home to an appalling number of major league baseball players,� Miranda says in the clip shared on social media. “It’s really incredible. To be able to honor that in a movie is something we’re really actively trying to do.�

Yadier, the youngest brother, won two World Series titles and nine Gold Glove awards while spending the entirety of his career with the Cardinals. His brothers were also World Series championships with the Angels in 2002, and Jose won another ring with the Yankees in 2009. They are the only three brothers to all play catcher in the majors and all win a title ring.

Caught looking

Eight of the Cardinals' first nine strikeouts Sunday and all six by Milwaukee lefty Jose Quintana were called strike threes, or “looking� strikeouts. Quintana, a former Cardinals, kept finding the lower edge or inner edge of the strike zone with his mix of change-ups and sinkers, and the Cardinals “stubbornness� — the word they used — meant not fishing after the lefty’s stuff, and with his accuracy Sunday that led to called strikes.

“If you look at the ones looking they were all clipping the edges,� Marmol said. “It’s a guy you don’t want to chase around. You have to out-stubborn him. But he gets his outs nibbling to the corners and getting you. You try to get him into the heart of the plate and not chase him around because he plays that change-up right off of the sinker. It looks like it’s on the corner and then it fades out. He did a really nice job of sticking it there. For him to repeat hitting those spots to that degree? That’s impressive.�

Herrera’s next steps

Catcher Ivan Herrera will take his final strides toward a rehab assignment Tuesday as he tests his recovery from a bone bruise in a knee with running around the bases and cutting in sharp angles at full speed.

If that goes well, Herrera will be cleared to begin a rehab assignment as early as Thursday with one of the Cardinals’ minor league affiliates. He may repeat the workouts Wednesday to be a minor eague lineup Thursday. The catcher and the Cardinals are hopeful he’ll spend the weekend on a rehab assignment.

A moment for Jocketty

Before Monday’s game, Cincinnati broadcast a tribute to longtime baseball executive and former Cardinals’ general manager Walt Jocketty, who the Reds credit with pulling them back to prominence during the Joey Votto years. Jocketty died over the weekend at 74 after a lengthy hospitalization and battle for his health.

In 13 years as general manager with the Cardinals, Jocketty’s teams had six National League Central titles, seven postseason berths and two pennants. Images from the Cardinals’ 2006 World Series championship were part of the tribute Monday at Great American Ball Park, and there was a moment of silence in memorial.