After casting doubt on Tommy Edman’s availability for Opening Day earlier in camp, the Cardinals confirmed Thursday that their expected center fielder will open the season on the injured list. Manager Oli Marmol announced to the Cardinals beat that Edman will be shut down from hitting entirely for the next week, as it’s still causing him pain in his surgically repaired wrist (X link via Katie Woo of The Athletic). It’s still not clear whether left fielder Lars Nootbaar, who’s been slowed by a pair of fractures in his ribcage, will be cleared for Opening Day. Marmol added this morning that Nootbaar will be reevaluated Saturday (X link via John Denton of MLB.com). He’s been engaged in limited baseball activities for the past week.
Edman, 28, has primarily been a middle infielder in the past but handled himself well in 310 innings of center field work last season, drawing plus grades from metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. Defensive versatility has been one of his calling cards since he debuted in the majors, as he’s played every position other than catcher, first base and pitcher — drawing positive defensive marks everywhere he’s been.
With top shortstop prospect Masyn Winn on the cusp of MLB readiness, the Cardinals’ plan has been to move Edman to center field. Veteran Brandon Crawford was brought in as a veteran contingency plan at short in the event that Winn struggles, further cementing Edman’s role in the outfield, where he’d be flanked by Nootbaar and slugger Jordan Walker — in the event that all three are healthy.
That won’t be the case to begin the season. Edman, who missed time in 2023 with inflammation in his right wrist, continued to play through discomfort even upon returning from the injured list in 2023 and wound up undergoing arthroscopic surgery in October. The wrist injury could well have contributed to a decline in production at the plate; Edman hit .265/.324/.400 (106 wRC+) in 630 plate appearances in 2022 and got out to an even stronger start in April 2023 before his bat cratered. He was hitting .265/.339/.480 through early May but slipped to .244/.298/.378 over his final 418 trips to the plate. Edman finished out the season about eight percent worst than league-average, by measure of wRC+, with an overall batting line of .248/.307/.399.
With Edman now ruled out for Opening Day, it could be Dylan Carlson getting the nod in center field. The switch-hitter has been the subject of trade rumors for much of the past year, but the Cardinals never found an offer to their liking and will now at least temporarily turn center field back over to the former top prospect. Other outfield options on the 40-man roster include slugger Alec Burleson and defensive-minded Michael Siani.
It’s also possible that Victor Scott II, who stole a staggering 94 bases between High-A and Double-A last year, will crack the Opening Day roster. He’s had a big showing in camp, hitting .370/.469/.444 with four steals in 32 plate appearances, but Scott has also yet to play a single game above that Double-A level at which he topped out in 2023. Scott is regarded as a plus-plus defender in center field with 80-grade speed and negligible power. If he makes the club and Nootbaar joins Edman on the injured list, the Cards could put Scott’s glove in center and slide Carlson over to left field.
There are a fair number of moving parts in the St. Louis outfield mix, which has become typical for the organization over the years as they’ve struggled to retain any kind of long-term continuity in the group. Scott’s performance and Nootbaar’s health will be key storyline for the Cardinals in the final couple weeks of camp. Scott would need to be selected to the 40-man roster if he wins a spot on the Opening Day squad.
as randy, adolis and richie thrive in other environments in 2024, the cardinals and their modge podge of wrong outfields decisions are a big reason they wont be the NL favorites. the lineup would look like it could keep up with their rotation with those two in the corners, obviously with 20/20 hindsight but those guys all had a shot in stl
Braves and Dodgers are probably bigger reasons.
I think the criticisms of STL regarding Adolis are unfair. Even the Rangers released him after picking him up from the Cardinals. He’s a fundamentally different player.
One could, however, criticize STL for the deals that shipped out Arozarena, Alcantara, and Gallen though.
Agreed. It is fair to criticize the Arozarena and Ozuna deals but Garcia is a fluke.
I don’t have a problem with the Arozarena deal. He didn’t have a place to play and Liberatore has talent. He should have had a chance to compete for a rotation spot with Thompson this year but the team signed Lynn and Gibson instead.
The Ozuna for Alcatara and Gallen trade is the problem. That one trade changed everything.
Tampa’s main target was Jose Martinez to DH. They didn’t expect Arozarena to be the Arozarena he is either.
The reason Alcantara and Gallen became who they are is that they got better pitching coaches after they were traded. If they stayed with the Cards there’s a good chance they would never have been effective.
Agreed. Furthermore, StL’s acquisition of Fowler–and insistence on playing him–contributed both to Arozarena’s, et. al., lack of playing time and the need for more production in the lineup. One poor decision and unwillingness to move on spiraled into cascading effects.
Who says Richie Palacios is going to thrive this year? Even if he does, it was still more important to get Kittridge as a significant bullpen upgrade.
Only hindsight will tell us whether the trade worked. TB traded a former all-star reliever for an outfielder with a short time of MLB success. StL gambled on a pitcher when relievers are volatile and pitchers get injured all the time.
I do love that StL traded for a bunch of arms, most of them low cost. They seemed to have learned not to throw money at past bullpen performances.
Don’t forget lane Thomas. They could definitely use him as well
Thomas didn’t prove himself until just last season. By that point he probably would have left the organization via the Rule 5 draft, waivers, or minor league free agency, anyway.
His last year in STL was so atrocious though, that one can ask why the organization wasn’t able to help him.
That wasn’t the point I was making, I literally just said they could sure use him now. I never mentioned his performance. And it’s true they could definitely use him right about now, regardless of the circumstances of why he isn’t a cardinal anymore.
To help the Cardinals now, he actually has to be on the team now, and that would’ve been highly unlikely even if they hadn’t traded him a few years ago.
That literally isn’t the point dude, the original commenter was talking about adolis, Randy, and Richie, who aren’t with the cardinals anymore either. I simply added lane through mas to the mix, nothing more nothing less. They could literally use all 4 of them right now. IDC how or why they aren’t a cardinal, they could use them, plain and simple.
Thomas* I didn’t realize it corrected me to “through mas” I need to slow down typing lol.
I’ve always been a Carlson supporter. Even I know time is running out for him to find his bat. He may be the fourth outfielder even if Nootbaar is on the IL. At least Burleson has started to hit this spring. I don’t think Carlson’s glove is worth a wasted space in the lineup.
These guys do need to start clicking, or else it’s going to be another mediocre season of baseball in St. Louis.
Then again, Burleson is pretty lousy at OF defense, even in the corners. It’s a legitimate question as to whether Burleson’s somewhat better bat over Carlson is worth the heavy defensive downgrade, especially since it would also push Nootbaar to CF, where he is merely playable, while Walker is still trying to learn to play RF at a decent level. Even if you were to play Donovan in a corner and Burleson or Walker at DH, that’s still a very mediocre defensive OF.
This is of course only while facing right-handed pitchers. Against lefties, Carlson is the obvious choice.
I’d rather see Scott in center if he keeps getting on base. He has the speed and the glove. My comment assumes Nootbar is on the IL or rehabbing when the season begins.
Carlson has to greatly improve his bat if he’s to be anything but a spot starter. Burleson’s bat has been much more than marginally better this spring. 1.038 OPS to .620 OPS.
If Nootbaar is also out to start the season, then they practically have to start Carlson in CF, unless Scott absolutely tears it up for the rest of Spring Training to where the team is actually comfortable letting him completely skip AAA, which is still unlikely.
Spring Training numbers don’t mean much for established MLB hitters. Burleson was below average with the bat last year, and Carlson at least hits lefties well and plays great defense to be a short-side platoon player at worst.
Probably the player they could least afford to lose and that includes Arenado and Goldschmidt. His absence causes a ripple effect on not just one position but two. Not just one player but four.
Why? Edman’s one of my faves but he’s not irreplaceable. We have depth all over the IF and OF. Gray is easily the player they can least afford to lose
I wish I had your optimism to be able to see the depth. I know we’re always told about the outfield depth, but that’s just the propaganda machine at work. I do not see any depth at all.
Carlson, Burleson, Donovan, and some guys in AAA (including Scott) make for very good OF depth.
With Noot being fragile, and Carlson perpetually searching for his bat, I do not believe we have depth. Burleson is a downright liability in the outfield and there’s empirical evidence regarding that. Donovan, sure, but I have a feeling he’s going to be busy elsewhere and didn’t really consider him to be the OF depth because of the duties he’ll already have.
I don’t think we have much depth anywhere tbh. Maybe I’m just being negative. Hopefully, I’m wrong and you’re right.
I would like to see Tommy moved back to 2B as his primary position, provided Winn can hold on to the SS position. Though he plays well wherever they move him, his arm does not appear suited for CF. Let Scott start the season in CF and Gorman can be the primary DH. The Cardinals continue to promote players and place them in positions which they were not groomed for in the MiLB.
Agree, although Edman does have a good if not great arm. They still have Donovan who should be starting somewhere, and as that isn’t enough options Saggese is knocking down the door, but isn’t on the 40 man either.
I’d rather see Edman as a bench/utility piece. He doesn’t hit enough to start, for me. Donovan and Gorman need to be in the lineup and I’d rotate them between 2B and DH on most days. Ideally the team wouldn’t need Edman to be the starting CF, but here we are. Maybe VSII is ready. He’s having a nice spring.
Champs64—- My feelings exactly on Edman!
If he is moved back to 2nd base, where he’s won a Gold Glove, the infield contains 3 Gold Glovers and a potential Gold Glove in Winn at Shortstop.
The Cardinals are notorious for playing players out of their normal defensive positions!! It showed up like a sore toe in 2023.
Might as well get this one in too. The reason Goldschmidt’s numbers were down in ‘23 was he was moved from the RBI 3-hole in front of Arenado, to the 2-spot in the batting order.
A mental midget can figure that one out!!!
Sure, you strengthen the infield defense, but it costs you both offensively and defensively in the OF, while you also lose the flexibility of the DH spot with Gorman then needing to start almost every game at DH
Lineup placement doesn’t affect the performance of a professional hitter like Goldschmidt. Batting him second just means that the RBIs he loses mostly go to Gorman and Arenado instead, while Goldy then gets more Runs (scored) compared to batting 3rd.
The counter to that is that Gorman is not as good of a hitter and might not be as productive with runners on base the way a superior hitter like Goldschmidt would be/has been. I haven’t looked at the numbers, but I suspect this is true.
I’d much rather have Goldy hitting 3rd as well.
Scott probably isn’t ready yet, and then where do you play Donovan? It’s an idea that could be revisited midseason but not anytime soon.
I am with you on Edman. He is a GG second baseman, and his bat plays there. He can sit occasionally against tough rightness. Carlson is a question but somebody finally convinced him to swing the bat with authority. But truth be told Scott is really the answer in center. So who plays? Nootbar will be back soon and can sit against tough lefties, and maybe Carlson can start then. Bigger questions for me are Winn and Walker. Just average offense from Winn will do the job but Walker has to hit to stay in the line-up consistently or else Burleson should platoon. So who else plays, Gorman or Donovan? Hard to keep either on the bench but Donovan is the better defender, plus the Cards seem intent to use catcher’s as DH’s alot, further complicating playing time. Sure multiple options are a good thing but so are regular ABs. And this doesn’t include Saggese who would be starting for a lot of teams.
Mozeliak already stated publicly Scott will start in minors. Not rushing him, etc etc
Mozeliak did not state Scott wouldn’t be on the roster. He implied it wasn’t likely, but that was a week ago. His quote:
“I think we have to be a little more patient with that. Clearly, he’s opened up some eyes early on, but we have three weeks of camp left. So, there’s a lot of time to still make some judgements and decisions and we’ll see how things go.”
Here’s Oli Marmol today:
“Victor has had a really good camp. He has shown well on the field and he’s putting together some really good at bats. Obviously, he’s exciting on the bases and he’s played really good defense. He’s asking the right questions. He’s handled himself well off of the field as far as the clubhouse and engaging. It’s been exciting to watch him. We’re gonna continue to watch him.”
Mozeliak’s rationalization is becoming more and more irrational each season.
The Cardinals Team has deteriorated from a perennial National league pennant contender to an Organization who is just happy to have a .500 season under Mozeliak’s current regime.
Signing Cole or Montgomery with the idea that no batted ball ever reaches the centerfield coverage area. Scott Boras on line one with that idea…
Even if Victor was ready and could outperform any expectations we have of him, I’m not convinced we compete this season. I’m not a doomer like some, and try to be optimistic but these injuries are not a good sign. Why rush him up on what is likely going to be about an average team?
I still don’t think Victor Scott II has much of chance at making the Opening Day roster when he still hasn’t played in AAA. On top of that, if Nootbaar is ready, they’ll already have a full bench with Herrera, Burleson, Carpenter, and Crawford. It would probably take Nootbaar also opening the season on the IL along with full Spring Training numbers similar to Albert Pujols in his 2001 Spring Training for Scott to make the team.
The breakdown of the position player on the Opening Day Roster will probably look like this:
Starters:
C: Contreras
1B: Goldschmidt
2B: Gorman/Donovan
SS: Winn
3B: Arenado
LF: Nootbaar (if ready)/Burleson
CF: Carlson
RF: Walker
DH: Gorman/Donovan
Bench:
C: Herrera
1B/DH: Carpenter
SS: Crawford
CO/1B/DH: Burleson (if Nootbaar is ready) / OF: ?
This team is looking like a safe bet to be even worse than last year’s offering.
Noot’s agent really wants that opening series start at Dodgers stadium for the Japanese broadcast. Did some servicing of the fan base early in the offseason. Gotta keep the Samauri Japan flow.
I’m not an elite athlete…but how is it possible for all these guys to “get hurt” in preseason setting up to miss the start of the season?
I would have thought that a pro athlete would take the off season to build muscle, lose weight, and prepare for the up coming season.
Unless it was something like a broken bone (or toe), there shouldn’t be inflamed parts, or broken elbows….unless the pro athlete’s brain is smaller than their muscles…. Any opinions?
Edman had wrist surgery. He’s still recovering.
Arthroscopic surgery is a minor surgery and is done on an outpatient basis, which means you can go home the same day.
If it was done last October, there should have been ample time to recover and prep for the season….considering….this is an athlete making lots of money for doing his thing, and the team would have a team of rehab therapists to help with the recovery. Not like me sitting on my couch watching the price is right….
Edman has never been a slacker. I’m sure he’s done everything he could to be ready for the season. Surgeries don’t always go as planned.
Yeah got to get him right, he is too valuable! But if another surgery is needed do it now so he can be ready for the second half. Mainly because there are so many good replacements. Fermin
who tore up Winter ball, and has impressed is one option but Saggese is or is going to be a star. And still you have Donovan and Gorman. Lots of moving parts, but fortunately they are tough options.
Saggese does look good so far. Some trades are coming. Given where the team is, I expect Goldschmidt to be traded sometime this year. Arenado may even be traded in the rebuild that should have begun last year at the trade deadline.