Cardinals recall former Cubs outfielder ahead of high-stakes rivalry matchup

It's been nearly three years since the Chicago Cubs traded Nelson Velazquez to the Kansas City Royals, but this weekend, the former Chicago outfielder will have a chance to be a torn in the side of his former team.

Ahead of a rivalry matchup at Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals recalled Velazquez, who has, up until this point in 2026, been with the team's Triple-A affiliate. With Memphis, the 27-year-old outfielder has slashed a pretty pedestrian .232/.344/.420 slash line. He's struck out in nearly 30 percent of his trips to the plate, but has also walked more than 13 percent of the time.

Velazquez hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2024, when he played 64 games with the Royals. He's only a career .212 hitter in the big leagues, including a .193 career mark at Wrigley Field, still looking for his first hit against the Cubs.

Cubs, Cardinals takes on heightened significance heading into June

Remember when the season started and everyone thought the Cardinals were writing off the 2026 campaign with an eye toward the future? Apparently someone forgot to let the Redbirds know.

St. Louis enters the weekend in third place in the NL Central, just a half-game behind the Cubs for second and 4 1/2 behing the division-leading Brewers. Buoyed by Jordan Walker's breakout campaign, the Cardinals aren't backing down, remaining in thick of the playoff hunt as we approach the summer months.

For the Cubs, they'll need to control Walker - and keep the ball in the yard, in general - and hope the momentum the offense seemed to pick up the last two nights in Pittsburgh was onboard when they flew to St. Louis. A strong showing this weekend will put their 10-game losing streak firmly in the rearview mirror, while a stumble will only boost the doubts some are having about the team after a rocky May.

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