Alec Burleson
Another guy who may benefit from Lars Nootbaar's injury, Alec Burleson has been swinging a hot bat this spring and is looking to carve out a significant role as the season opens here soon.
His .881 OPS so far has been impressive, but anyone who dove into his numbers last year would know that Burleson was due for positive regression. No, I'm not expecting him to be an .880 OPS guy when the season begins, but he was one of the unluckiest players in baseball last year (with only Aaron Judge having a larger regression from his xwOBA to his actual wOBA).
While Dylan Carlson has continued to struggle at the plate as he has stepped into an opportunity to replace an injured starter, Burleson has taken the opportunites and run with them. His defense is still a question mark, but thus far in camp, he does look improved compared to last year.
With Nootbaar being out of the lineup, Gorman and Brendan Donovan present the Cardinals with their only other left-handed impact bats. Having Burleson ready to rock and role come Opening Day and play a significant role can help balance the lineup out a ton, and if Scott ends up patrolling center field, he'll provide major support for Burleson on balls in the gaps.
Once Nootbaar does return from injury though, it's tough to figure out what Burleson's role on this team would be. But for now, he's taking advantage of the at-bats he is being given and seems like a lock to start on Opening Day.