St. Louis Cardinals rookie Joshua Bez made a strong first impression in his major-league debut on Saturday. Bez, ranked as the Cardinals No. 3 prospect by MLB.com, was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Friday night and penciled into Saturdays starting lineup versus the Chicago Cubs by manager Oliver Marmol. Batting fifth and playing left field, Bez quickly announced his MLB debut by hitting the first pitch he faced from Cubs starter Matthew Boyd for a home run. Boyd left a 93 mph fastball out over the plate where Bez could extend his arms and he did not miss. pic.twitter.com/jLVRPxebYS St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 15, 2026The 3-run homer from Bez gave the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead. St. Louis first got on the board following a leadoff walk by JJ Wetherholt andIvn Herrera getting hit by a pitch. Alec Burleson then drove in a run on a groundout. One pitch later, Bez gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. Bez, 23, was St. Louis 2021 second-round pick out of Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts. Before his call-up, he hit 34 home runs with 90 RBI and a .256/.328/.573 slash average for the Redbirds. This story will be updated with more information.