2 climbers and 2 tumblers on the St. Louis Cardinals' depth chart

Two players are ascending the team's depth chart, and two others are having trouble staying afloat.

As the St. Louis Cardinals traveled north from Florida at the end of Spring Training, they had 26 players in tow and a decent grasp of how their depth chart would be constructed. Much of that depth chart is solidified: The obvious pillars on the infield corners remain intact and productive in the form of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, and while Willson Contreras hasn't produced the way Cardinals fans have hoped, he still has a stranglehold on the starting catcher position.

Brendan Donovan hasn't been quite as productive lately as some might have expected; the power that he displayed in Spring Training and early in the season has diminished, and he is chasing pitches more, but he has shown promise in the past few games and was on fire at the beginning of the season.

While the infielders haven't changed much in the depth chart other than Nolan Gorman earning a larger portion of playing time than some fans might have expected thanks to a sizzling start, the outfield is less settled with the return of Lars Nootbaar, and it was expected before the season that there would be competition for the three spots.

Although the bullpen doesn't have an actual depth chart, roles do change based on pitchers' performances. If someone is routinely lights-out when he pitches, it would behoove a manager to thrust that pitcher into a higher-leverage role. On the flip side, a struggling hurler will often be relegated to a lower-leverage or mop-up role.

Depth charts are merely a blueprint to begin the season, and the Cardinals are already seeing some movement on theirs.

Rising: Alec Burleson, OF

Alec Burleson has been the Cardinals' No. 2 hitter in most games this season. Originally projected as a fringe roster contender and fifth outfielder if he made it onto the roster, Burleson has raced up the ladder to claim a regular corner outfield or designated hitter role. While Lars Nootbaar's return from the injured list could cut into Burleson's playing time a bit, Burleson deserves to remain in the lineup on a near-daily basis.

Burleson has a .279 batting average and a .814 OPS. He is in the 86th percentile of hitters in average exit velocity and 81st percentile in hard-hit percentage. He has been stinging the ball, but a high chase rate of 35.3% leaves room for improvement. His defense is less than spectacular, which leads him to be a designated hitter more often than not.

After Burleson hit only .188 in his small sample last season, the Cardinals are undoubtedly relieved and encouraged by his turnaround. If the Cardinals want to thin out their outfield a bit, Burleson might net a decent return in a trade if he continues producing.

Rising: Drew VerHagen, RHP

A signing out of Japan before the 2022 season, Drew VerHagen was ineffective and later injured for the duration of last year. After a stellar spring, VerHagen provided fans hope that he had found something indicating that he could bring his stats in Japan to his second stint in the major leagues. So far, it appears the production has stuck.

VerHagen currently possesses a 2.35 ERA in 7.2 innings, and the Cardinals have gradually put him into higher-leverage situations. On April 16, VerHagen entered a tie game in the top of the 10th inning with a runner on second and no outs. The runner scored, but VerHagen did not allow a hit or a walk. Outside of one poor showing in Colorado, where he allowed two earned runs on two hits and only produced one out, VerHagen has not given up an earned run.

Regarding his percentile rankings, VerHagen has a fastball spin rate in the 75th percentile and is able to induce a lot of chases. The Cardinals weren't sure during Spring Training whether anyone would run with a seventh-inning or occasional eighth-inning role, but VerHagen has slotted into that spot nicely so far.

Falling: Dylan Carlson, OF

Dylan Carlson, once a top Cardinals prospect and still only 24 years old, has seen his playing time dwindle as issues hitting right-handed pitching continue to hamper him. It appears Alec Burleson has leapfrogged Carlson to be the fourth outfielder, and Carlson might not have much leeway remaining on the team.

Although the rumors that Carlson was the player who held up the Juan Soto trade have proven to be exaggerated, the Cardinals have nevertheless seemed to sour on Carlson. Hitting left-handed, against right-handed pitchers, Carlson is batting .182 in 23 plate appearances. In the game on April 16, Carlson, batting left-handed, was instructed to bunt with the winning run on first base and one out. Such a decision would seem unfathomable even last year.

Carlson has slipped into the fifth outfielder role and might be best deployed as a platoon outfielder against left-handed starters. It's quite the slide for a player who accrued a decent amount of excitement for his debut a few years ago.