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3 Cardinals who need to run with their opportunity after Jordan Walker's injury

These Cardinals could carve out bigger roles for themselves while Jordan Walker is on the injured list.
ByJosh Jacobs|
Jun 3, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Alec Burleson (41) celebrates with second baseman Nolan Gorman (16) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Jun 3, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Alec Burleson (41) celebrates with second baseman Nolan Gorman (16) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Nolan Gorman

Just this week, Marmol opened up about how he planned on balancing playing time for their young core, and recognized that Gorman was still the odd man out of those equations.

"The name you’re looking for here is Gorman, and that’s where I’m having the most trouble finding playing time for," Marmol told Katie Woo of The Athletic. "That’s not an easy rotation.”

Well, now that Walker is going to miss time, finding some time for Gorman becomes easier.

I do not expect Gorman to now be playing every day (barring he goes on a run at the plate), but he will play more frequently, which is all he can ask for at this point. Alec Burleson will likely play every day against right-handed pitching, but Gorman can find some starts here and there now as well.

Coming into 2025, Gorman was one of the faces of the "runway" that John Mozeliak had talked about all offseason. But after Nolan Arenado was not traded, it made those opportunities tighter, and when Alec Burleson outplayed Gorman all camp and to start the year, it squeezed him out of the rotation of at-bats.

In 106 plate appearances this year, Gorman is slashing .189/.283/.300 with just one home run, resulting in a 63 wRC+ and -0.1 fWAR thus far. Once a top prospect in all of baseball and a first round pick by the Cardinals in 2018, it's been quite the fall from grace for Gorman, who was 13% below league-average at the plate last year as well and would have had the MLB-record for strikeout percentage in a single season had he qualified for leaderboards.

Still, Gorman is a guy who has shown immense potential at the big league level before. In 2023, his first full big league season, Gorman slugged 27 home runs in 119 games with a 118 wRC+. He can be a big-time bat when things are right, they just haven't been in a few years now.

If Gorman does not take advantage of this opportunity, it's hard to believe he'll truly get another one again. If he does, though, it could be the beginning of him fighting his way back into a regular role with the club.

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