ST. LOUIS -- Thomas Saggese, the No. 4-ranked prospect in the Cardinals' system, per MLB Pipeline, was selected from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday and will debut at short and bat seventh tonight, when St. Louis hosts the rival Reds at Busch Stadium. Victor Scott II was optioned to Memphis in a corresponding move.

Utility standout Brendan Donovan, who has missed the past two games with an infection and swelling in the big toe on his right foot, had been a candidate to be placed on the injured list with the promotion of Saggese, but the club chose to option Scott instead.

Saggese was penciled in the lineup with the Cardinals giving rookie Masyn Winn the night off. Winn, who is in position to become the first Cardinal to lead the team in hits since Albert Pujols in 2001, has not missed an inning in the past 25 games and the Cardinals want to give him time to rest his ailing lower back.

Saggese was acquired by the Cardinals from Texas in July 2023 in the deal that centered around left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who helped the Rangers win the World Series.

The 22-year-old has slashed .253/.313/.438 with 20 home runs, 23 doubles, three triples and 67 RBIs in 125 games with Triple-A Memphis. Defensively, he has played in 70 games at shortstop, 42 at second base and 13 games at third base. In 593 1/3 innings at shortstop, the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has committed 10 errors while turning 47 double plays.

Saggese, a fifth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2020 MLB Draft, won the Double-A Texas League MVP award in 2023 by hitting .306 with 26 home runs and 111 RBIs with Frisco (Texas) and Springfield (Mo.). He finished the 2023 season at Memphis, and he was among the final cuts that the Cardinals made in Spring Training.