Cardinals Nearing Crossroads With Victor Scott II, Nathan Church

Apr 17, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) ccelebrates with teammates after the game against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Cardinals Nearing Crossroads With Victor Scott II, Nathan Church

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 23, 2026 8:19 AM ET

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There have been a lot of positives so far this season for the St. Louis Cardinals, but there are also ways they can improve if they want to continue this hot streak that they have been on to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Jordan Walker has been great in right field. He's slashing .292/.357/.607 with eight homers and 16 RBIs in 23 games played. Outside of him, though, offense has been hard to come by in the outfield. Victor Scott II is slashing .197/.254/.213 with zero homers, four RBIs, and three stolen bases. Nathan Church is slashing .236/.295/.364 with two homers and eight RBIs.

The Cardinals need some more firepower in the outfield, but changes are not coming in the short term. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals plan to stick with both Scott and Church in their roles right now as the club's center fielder and left fielder.

"The Cardinals finished Monday’s game with Jose Fermin in center field because, as they tried to erase a deficit in the 5-3 loss, they sided with Fermin’s bat over Scott’s glove," Goold wrote. "[Oli Marmol] said he doesn’t expect to rewrite the rotation of outfielders he’s used in the season’s first month and that both Nathan Church and Scott will continue to see regular starts, with Scott as the everyday center fielder. Marmol said he might remove a player from the lineup if a slump appears mentally draining or worsening."

The Cardinals Aren't Making A Change, Yet

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While it's known that the Cardinals are going to stick with Scott and Church right now, how long will that be the case? Goold noted that Lars Nootbaar is about one month away from returning from the 60-Day Injured List and that will be a point when things will get more interesting.

"For now, they’ll use the playing time in the outfield while they have it. Lars Nootbaar is a month away from returning from the 60-day injured list, and at that point, the competition for playing time in center could tighten," Goold wrote.

That makes sense. Nootbaar has been on the Injured List all season to this point and is expected to be eligible to come off the 60-Day Injured List right around the end of May. He underwent offseason surgery on both of his heels and has been working his way back ever since. Nootbaar was spotted at Busch Stadium earlier in April and had progressed to the point of running, which is a great sign after his offseason surgeries.

If Nootbaar is ready to go towards the end of May, that's going to make it difficult for both Church and Scott to be in the lineup if neither of their bats are going. So, right now the club isn't making a change. But this next month will be critical for both and one of them likely will lose playing time when Nootbaar is ready to roll.

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

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