With more than a third of the 2025 season complete, the St. Louis Cardinals are still struggling to find playing time for former first-round pick Nolan Gorman. The 25-year-old infielder is struggling at the plate and is blocked by better options for the surprisingly contending Cardinals. However, his limited playing time will make it difficult for the team to evaluate what to do moving forward with Gorman.
Cardinals Not Getting Former First-Round Pick Nolan Gorman Much Playing Time
Buried on the Depth Chart
Gorman has started less than half of the Cardinals’ games this season. He is tied for 1oth in starts on the team with catcher and DH Ivan Herrera with 26. Herrera missed nearly a month of the season with a knee injury. Realistically, Gorman is 11th on the depth chart for playing time among offensive players.
Gorman’s natural position is third base. The Cardinals thought last summer he might take over full-time at the position if they had moved perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado. However, that plan very publicly stalled. Gorman has played most of his time in the majors at second base. However, Brendan Donovan moving to second base at a near full-time clip this season has blocked him there.
The Cardinals’ top two batters for plate appearances are left-handed batters like Gorman. Donovan and outfielder Lars Nootbaar are in the lineup every day. The team’s center fielder Victor Scott II is also a lefty. So, on days it makes sense for the team to add a left-handed bat at the DH role, it’s between Gorman and Alec Burleson for that fourth lefty. Gorman hasn’t made much of a case for himself to earn those starts over Burleson.
If the struggles continue, could we see Nolan Gorman get sent down to Memphis? @LWorthySports shares his thoughts on Episode 62. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! #ForTheLou #LouSportsTalk @SportsHubSTL pic.twitter.com/DRjopQq13D
— The Lou Sports Talk (@lousportstalk_) June 3, 2025
Struggling at the Plate Again in 2025
Gorman had a rough 2024 season. He ultimately finished in Triple-A after failing to put it together during the season. His 2025 season isn’t going much better.
Gorman is slashing .187/.280/.297 this season with an OPS of .577 and a WAR of -.3. Among players with at least 100 at-bats on the team, he is second on the team in strikeout percentage at 27.1 percent. Only Jordan Walker is striking out more at 33.1 percent. His strikeout rate has improved from the past two seasons; it’s actually 10 percent lower than his 2024 rate.
The 2018 first-round pick is improving in his plate discipline. His walk rate of 12.1 percent is tied for second on the team this season with Herrera. Only Nootbaar has a higher walk rate. However, his hitting struggles paired with his average defense haven’t been enough to crack the lineup most days.
Uncertainty About Future
The Cardinals intentionally made very few offseason moves this past winter. The organization added zero MLB-level contracts on the offensive side.
“What we were really trying to do was get a sense of, what players do we want to invest in long-term?” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told MLB Now on Monday. “Who do we want to be a part of the Cardinals in 2026 and beyond? And the only way we could really figure this out is allowing these guys to play.”
The team has delivered on that, giving plenty of playing time to players like Walker, Scott II, Burleson, and Herrera. Even among the young players with potential, Gorman seems to be the odd man out. With Walker hitting the IL for a reportedly short stint, there is an opportunity for Gorman to play more over the next couple of weeks.
“I think between [Burleson] and Gorman, you’re going to see more plate appearances for them so we’ll see what they can do with it,” Mozeliak told KMOX Radio on Sunday.
The Cardinals need to find time for Gorman, especially when others are injured, to figure out what to do with him moving forward. Gorman is entering his first year of arbitration this offseason. He isn’t scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent until 2029. However, with a new president of baseball operations starting next year in Chaim Bloom, the team will want to know what they should plan on with Gorman.
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