The St. Louis Cardinals are dealing with a rash of injuries, and that has pushed Nolan Gorman back into a more prominent role at third base. With Blaze Jordan now on the injured list, Gorman is in line to pick up most of the reps there, giving the club another look at a player who has yet to string together a full season of consistent production.
That’s exactly the kind of spot where Lance Lynn thinks patience still makes sense.
Lynn isn’t ready to write Gorman off, and he sees a path to something much bigger if the bat starts to settle in. “If he can hit .240 with his power and all that, he's going to be a very good major league player because he can play defense," Lynn said. "If my man could just stop swinging and missing so much, I think Nolan Gorman has the ability to be a 25-plus homer every year guy."
The Cardinals have already seen one version of that turnaround play out with Jordan Walker. Fans were prepared to move on from him before the season began, but he has since become one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball and added a Home Run Derby win back in July.
That’s why there’s still a case for believing Gorman can rebound too. His 2023 season remains his best to date, and if he can get back to that level, St. Louis could have a real power bat in the middle of the lineup.
The idea is simple: sometimes a young hitter just needs time. Gorman has been striking out a lot, and he has not been able to put everything together for a full season in quite a while, but the Cardinals still have a window to see whether he can finally click.
That window won’t stay open forever. Jordan is the better hitter right now, and the organization also has Jesus Baez performing well at Double-A Springfield. So while Gorman is getting another chance, the pressure is real.
Still, Walker’s rise shows how quickly the story can change. If Gorman finds that same kind of resurgence in 2027, the Cardinals could look back and see one more important piece added to their young core.
In Other News...
Cardinals Just Took A Late-Season Hit They Couldn't Afford
The Cardinals had little margin for error down the stretch, and now they have to get by without one of the rookies who helped shape their season. St. Louis placed JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis, a setback that comes at an inconvenient time for a team still trying to squeeze value out of every remaining game. In a corresponding move, the club brought up infielder Csar Prieto from Triple-A to help fill the gap.
Wetherholts absence matters beyond the day-to-day lineup shuffle because he had become one of the Cardinals most important young players this year. The injury also adds another wrinkle to what had been shaping up as a real National League Rookie of the Year conversation, and now the Cardinals have to wait and see how much time he loses before they can get a clearer read on the race and on their own late-season plans. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Look Smarter Every Week After One Risky Offseason Trade
The offseason deal that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle was one of the Cardinals more aggressive steps in a broader reset, and it has aged in a way that fits St. Louis new thinking. Donovan has gotten into 39 games for the Mariners, but injuries have interrupted his rhythm and his production has been only modest, which has only sharpened the focus on what the Cardinals brought back as they leaned into development and rebuilding.
In exchange, St. Louis added prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete and Colton Ledbetter, plus two Competitive Balance Round B picks that were used on Andrew Williamson and Dawson Montesa. The immediate return may not be the kind that grabs headlines in the moment, but it is the sort of package the Cardinals were chasing - multiple chances to build depth, spread risk and see whether a riskier move can pay off down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Face A Risky Outfield Opportunity
With 25 games left and a 4.5-game gap to the National League wild card, the Cardinals are staring at the kind of late-season opportunity that can reshape a roster in a hurry. One option that suddenly surfaced is Luis Robert Jr., who has been placed on outright waivers by the Mets and is now available to any team willing to take a chance on him. For a club still hanging around the postseason race, that alone makes him worth a long look.
The appeal is obvious: Robert brings the kind of upside that can change an outfield picture quickly if things click. The hesitation is just as obvious, since his recent performance and health history make any move in his direction feel like a calculated gamble rather than a clean fit. For the Cardinals, it becomes less about whether the talent is there and more about whether this is the kind of risk worth taking at a moment when every roster decision carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]