When the Cardinals expanded their roster to 28 players at the start of September, Victor Scott II came back up from Triple-A Memphis with a familiar job description: use the speed, cover ground, help out late. What he has not gotten is a real shot to hit.
Scott opened the 2025 season as St. Louis’ starting center fielder, but his bat never really settled in and he was eventually sent down to Memphis.
Since returning, he has been limited to pinch-running and defensive work. He has not been in the starting lineup and has yet to get an at-bat.
That usage has led to a pretty blunt question about why he is on the roster at all. Josh Jacobs of MLB.com didn’t dance around it.
"Why is he even on the team right now?" Jacobs said.
"If they're not going to start him, ever, if he's just going to be a defensive replacement and pinch runner, what it tells me, is I don't even know if he's on the team next year and I mean the 40-man roster. If they don't trust him to play in games at all right now over Nathan Church who has not be awesome at all lately, then what are we doing?
I think they're telling you they don't think he's going to be here."
Scott’s value has always been tied to his legs and glove, and those remain obvious. The problem is the offense. Through this season, he is hitting .297/.278/.261 with two home runs, nine RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .540 OPS.
That opens the door for Nathan Church, who, while not a star, has been the more dependable bat and also brings elite speed and strong defense. If the Cardinals are weighing the two in center field, Church looks like the safer bet.
The result is a picture that doesn’t leave much room for Scott. There doesn’t seem to be much more he can do in St. Louis to convince the Cardinals he should be the starting center fielder, and the current direction points toward Church handling that spot moving forward, including entering the 2027 season barring an offseason move or two.
For Scott, the message appears clear enough: the Cardinals have better options right now, and his time in St. Louis may be running out.
In Other News...
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Oli Marmol helped calm things afterward by saying Walker was not seriously concerned about the injury, which is the kind of update St. Louis needed after a shaky-looking scene on the field. Walker had already turned in a strong performance before leaving, and with his season still trending in a productive direction, the bigger question now is simply how he responds in the next game or two. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Gray Is Making Cardinals Fans Revisit What Went Wrong
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For Cardinals fans, the contrast invites a fresh look at what went wrong during his time in St. Louis, where the fit never quite matched the expectations. Weather, adjustments to his pitching mix and the general challenge of adapting to a new environment all seemed to matter, and Gray has even said he would be open to returning home if his family wanted that. The Cardinals eventually dealt him after the 2025 season, adding pitching prospects in the return, but his resurgence elsewhere has kept the conversation going. [Read more 🡒]
Leo Bernal Is Forcing A Big Cardinals Catcher Conversation
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The offensive start has been strong enough to keep pushing the discussion beyond simple development timelines and into bigger roster questions. Bernal has looked comfortable enough to earn a longer look, and the Cardinals now have to weigh what his bat and glove mean for a position that is never easy to sort out. For a club that values catching depth, the next step in his usage may end up being every bit as interesting as the start he has already delivered. [Read more 🡒]