Playing start, bench, and option with the Cardinals' outfielders

There are too many mouths to feed in the Cardinals' outfield, they need to define roles for each of their outfielders.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the 2023 season with so many different position players who could have made an impact on their roster. Because of that, the Cardinals decided to enter the season with a bit of fluctuation amongst their position players, specifically in the outfield.

It's late April, and it's now clear as day that the Cardinals have too many mouths to feed in their outfield.

Some would say that was obvious back in Spring Training, but I would push back against that. Sure, there were a lot of players needing playing time, but a few things have made it even more difficult to decipher that.

First, Jordan Walker made the Opening Day roster, adding another player to the mix. Second, Alec Burleson has played above most fans' expectations and has made himself someone who needs consistent playing time. Third, Nolan Gorman has been the Cardinals' best player this year, making DH at-bats virtually non-existent for guys not named Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras.

I won't say the Cardinals' depth is a bad thing by any stretch, but the reluctance to "roll with some guys" may really be damaging their ability to find consistent offense. Honestly, the club probably messed up a little bit not finding a trade for one or two of their outfielders this offseason to improve their pitching, but their thinking wasn't bad. With how this season has started off though, they cannot worry about getting everyone at-bats in St. Louis.

So in this story, I am going to tell you which three outfielders should start, which one should be on the bench, and who should be optioned to Triple-A Memphis for the time being while the club figures out what they have in their outfield.