The Cardinals may be done in the playoff race, but they still have a real storyline to chase over the season’s final six games: Alec Burleson’s push to finish atop the RBI leaderboard.
St. Louis entered the year in rebuild mode, having shifted its focus toward player development after moving multiple veteran stars to strengthen the farm system. That reset has produced a season that went far better than expected, and it has also given the Cardinals a clearer picture of which young pieces matter most going forward.
Burleson has made a strong case to be near the front of that group. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter, in his fifth season with the club, leads the Majors with 111 RBIs and has put together the best year of his career.
He’s set personal highs in RBIs and home runs, with 23, while hitting .282/.347/.466. He’s also under team control through 2028.
If Burleson holds onto the RBI lead through the end of the regular season, he’d carve out a notable place in Cardinals history. As MLB.com’s Brent Maguire wrote on Sunday, "Alec Burleson leads the Majors with 111 RBIs, putting him in line for some impressive Cardinals history," and "He’s looking to become the first Cardinal to lead the National League since Albert Pujols in 2010 and the first to lead the Majors in the category since Joe Torre drove in 137 runs in 1971. His stiffest competition is Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart, who sits at 110 RBIs entering the final week."
That puts Burleson one RBI ahead of Stewart heading into the season’s last week, with a final stretch that includes three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates and a tougher matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee is also chasing history and closing in on its first 100-win season, but for the Cardinals, the most immediate watch is whether Burleson can hang on and finish with the RBI crown.
In Other News...
Cardinals May Be Reworking Alec Burlesons Role For One Big Reason
The Cardinals have quietly begun adjusting Alec Burlesons usage at first base, and the reason is hard to miss. Leo Bernal has started there in two games, with St. Louis choosing to sit Burleson against left-handed pitchers after his struggles in that split, a move that reflects the teams broader search for more reliable lineup balance.
What makes the plan worth watching is that Bernal is only part of it. The Cardinals are also considering other options such as Ivan Herrera and Rainiel Rodriguez at first base, a sign they want to squeeze more productive at-bats out of younger players while putting Burleson in better spots to do damage against right-handers. For a team trying to sharpen its offense, especially in tougher pitching matchups, the position may become less about one fixed starter and more about matching the right bat to the right night. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Are Suddenly One Loss From A Brutal New Low
A night that already carried plenty of frustration ended with the Cardinals locking themselves into a place this franchise has worked hard to avoid. The loss to the Pirates dropped St. Louis to 76-81, officially eliminating the club from postseason contention and ensuring there will be no finish above .500 in 2026.
With five games still to play, the only thing left for the Cardinals to chase is damage control. They need to win out just to avoid a losing season, and if they cannot, it would leave them with back-to-back losing years for the first time since 1958 and 1959, another stark marker in a stretch that now includes a fourth straight missed playoff berth. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Are Finally Facing The Arenado Debate They Knew Was Coming
The Cardinals spent the winter making a clear bet on the future, moving on from Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado before the 2026 season in exchange for a package that included Jack Martinez. It was the kind of sweeping reset that signals more than a roster shuffle, and it also left St. Louis leaning harder into development and playing time for younger pieces such as Blaze Jordan and Nolan Gorman.
Arenado, meanwhile, has been productive in Arizona, which only sharpens the conversation around what the Cardinals gave up and why they were willing to do it. For St. Louis, though, the move was never just about one player's numbers. It was about choosing a long-term path, even if the short-term optics make the debate around Arenado feel a lot more complicated than the front office would probably like. [Read more 🡒]