Cardinals lose Victor Scott II to 10-day IL, Nathan Church gets his shot

The Cardinals got tough news ahead of Sunday’s rubber matchup with the Yankees, placing rookie center fielder Victor Scott II on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain.

Scott’s injury came in the third inning of Saturday’s 12–8 loss after attempting to rob the Yankees’s Aaron Judge of a solo home run in right-center. 

After crashing into the wall and staying down for several minutes, Scott remained in the game but was visibly hobbled. Three innings later, he was down the tunnel. 

This Cardinals team, to put it quite simply, is reduced at the moment.

Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan have both been also absent during spurts of the Cardinals' latest 9-game homestand. Donovan has been out since Friday with a toe injury and Contreras since Tuesday, who has a right foot contusion after being hit by yet another pitch. 

Now, with a young defensive spark plug sidelined, the Cardinals are turning to another fresh face. Nathan Church, called up from Triple-A Memphis, will make his big-league debut in center field on Sunday.

In 86 games this season—53 of them in Memphis—Church posted a .335 batting average, a .921 OPS, 11 doubles, and 7 home runs. Defensively versatile and coming off a 2-for-4 appearance at the plate, Church comes into the MLB with a little momentum.

The Cardinals wasted no time writing him into the lineup, giving fans a first look at a player they hope can inject some life into a team searching for stability.

With Scott sidelined, the spotlight shifts to Church—and to how the Cardinals navigate yet another test of their depth.