Ruben

Cardenas

Cardenas headed overseas to Korea during the late stages of last season, getting into seven games for the Samsung Lions, after batting .277/.345/.550 with 20 homers and 10 steals in 75 contests at the Triple-A level between the Rays and Phillies organizations. The 27-year-old outfielder feels like the type of Quad-A slugger that might not break through in the majors, but could easily wind up excelling in Korea.

Cardenas hit .269/.358/.475 with 22 home runs last year as a 25-year-old in Triple-A, but he wasn’t added to the Rays 40-man roster or claimed in the Rule 5 draft. He went back to Triple-A Durham and has gotten better, hitting .281/.346/.530 with 11 home runs and five steals in 49 games. He seems to have taken a more aggressive approach, walking less and striking out less but making more authoritative contact. The Phillies’ outfield depth has been depleted due to injuries, and they’re currently playing David Dahl regularly, so there’s a chance Cardenas could force his way to the majors.

It’s now official that one of the top fantasy prospects in baseball will open the season in the minors. In nine spring games, the 20-year-old went 7-for-26 (.269) with one homer and four RBI. It was reported earlier in February that the team was unlikely to have Caminero on the Opening Day roster due to his inexperience at the professional level. We’ll see if the team decides to play him at shortstop or third base given the Amed Rosario signing this offseason, but expect the young prospect to be called up if there is an injury on that side of the infield. The other notable name here is Carson Williams, who has some diverging opinions from scouts and evaluations, but is generally viewed as one of the most promising middle infield prospects in the game entering this season.

He’s now 4-for-4 this spring. Cardenas hit a solid .269/.358/.475 as a 25-year-old in Triple-A last year, but it wasn’t enough to get him added to the Rays’ 40-man or picked in the Rule 5 draft. Asia might eventually be an option for him.

Had there been a Rule 5 draft after the 2021 season, Cardenas might have gotten picked. However, he wasn’t as impressive in Triple-A last year, hitting .208/.289/.440 in 82 games. He has plenty of pop, but plate discipline is an issue, and he’d need to clearly outproduce Josh Lowe in Triple-A this year in order to get an opportunity with the Rays.

Cardenas, who would have been eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 draft had it not been cancelled, hit 25 homers in 105 games in the minors last year, so power isn’t the concern here. The 84/12 K/BB ratio in 290 plate appearances after moving up to Double-A... now that’s an issue. He’ll probably fare better there this year, but he’ll have to take quite a leap forward to insert himself into the Rays’ plans.

Cardenas was one of just three Rays batters to pick up a hit on Sunday. His triple was the team’s lone extra-base knock. Splitting time between High-A and Double-A last season, the 24-year-old outfielder slashed .292/.333/.523 with 25 homers and 78 RBI across 105 games played. While those are certainly nice minor-league marks, Cardenas has yet to take an at-bat in the majors and does not warrant fantasy attention at this stage of his career.

The 21-year-old outfielder is having a nice season at Class-A Lake County, slashing .284/.343/.475 with 10 long balls, 54 RBI and nine stolen bases in 84 games. He’s likely a couple of years away from helping the Rays at the big league level.