Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits the ball into play against the Washington Nationals during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Biggest Changes for the Cardinals Since Opening Day

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 10, 2026 12:00 PM ET

There are few stories in baseball better than the St. Louis Cardinals right now.

St. Louis entered the season with far more people projecting them to be near the bottom of the league's standings, than above .500 through two weeks. The Cardinals have played 12 games so far and are 7-5 on the season. That's a 94-win pace across the 162-game season. Now, it would be pretty shocking if the Cardinals reached that threshold. But this team already looks better than many gave them credit for. Before the season, ESPN projected the Cardinals to go 70-92, for example. We've been banging the drum saying otherwise.

The Cardinals traded away a lot of big-name talent this past offseason, but arguably aren't in a worse position. Alec Burleson has done a good job replacing Willson Contreras, JJ Wetherholt looks like a star and has replaced Brendan Donovan at second base, Nolan Gorman has been at least equal to what Nolan Arenado was in 2025 and the rotation is better overall, despite trading Sonny Gray. The big names may be gone, but the club is at least comparable skill-wise to the 2025 team, if not better.

Through two weeks, the Cardinals have been good. They haven't even had to make a lot of changes. There have been a few, though. Here are the biggest.

Jordan Walker's Spot In The Order

Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

On Opening Day, Walker was the No. 6 hitter for St. Louis. He was coming off a tough Spring Training with question marks all around. He has responded, though. In fact, Walker is tied for the MLB lead in homers with five. Overall, he's slashing .295/.367/.682 with five homers and 12 RBIs in 12 games played. He's moved up from No. 6 in the order to No. 4. With Walker moving up to No. 4, the Cardinals flipped Masyn Winn to No. 6. Arguably, it didn't make much sense in the first place that Winn was at No. 4, but that's a different story.

Matt Pushard To The IL/ Gordon Graceffo Up In MLB

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

There really haven't been a lot of changes with St. Louis this season so far. The club has stayed relatively healthy in the majors, outside of Matt Pushard heading to the Injured List with a right knee injury. Gordon Graceffo, who didn't make the club out of camp, was promoted in his place. Graceffo has made four appearances so far this season and has a 1.93 ERA.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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