When the St. Louis Cardinals optioned Nolan Gorman and Victor Scott II to Triple-A Memphis in June, the hope was straightforward: get both players into a lower-pressure environment, clean up their swings and approaches, and have them force their way back to the big leagues.
Roughly six weeks later, that experiment is not working.
Gorman, the former first-round pick who entered the year as the everyday third baseman after Nolan Arenado’s departure, was sent down on June 12 after posting a .194/.279/.318 slash line with seven home runs and a 32.3% strikeout rate in 62 games. The Cardinals first sent him to the Florida Complex League to rework his swing with hitting director Dalton Hurd and minor-league hitting coordinator Brock Hammit, focusing on a flatter attack angle. He later reported to Memphis.
The results in Triple-A have been bleak. Through 23 games with the Redbirds, Gorman is hitting just .146/.314/.317 with a .631 OPS, four home runs and 10 RBIs. His on-base percentage and OPS are slightly better than his major-league marks, thanks in part to walks, but a .146 batting average at Triple-A is not the kind of production that earns a recall. Recent form has been especially rough—he has gone through stretches of extreme strikeout-heavy at-bats while showing only occasional power.
Victor Scott II’s situation is different in profile but similarly disappointing in outcome. The elite defensive center fielder was optioned around June 9 after hitting .194/.276/.258 with a .534 OPS in 61 games. His glove remained a strength (he ranked in the 85th percentile in Outs Above Average before the demotion), but the bat offered almost nothing. The Cardinals wanted him to improve pitch recognition, particularly against secondary pitches, in a quieter setting.
In Memphis, Scott has shown only marginal improvement. Through 29 games he is at .196/.283/.276 with a .551 OPS. The average, on-base percentage and OPS are all barely up from his major-league numbers, and he continues to run the bases aggressively, but the power has been nonexistent and the overall production remains well below what is needed to reclaim everyday playing time in St. Louis.
Both players still possess clear big-league tools. Gorman’s raw power is undeniable—he hit 27 home runs in 2023—and Scott’s defense and speed give him a high floor if the bat can become merely average. The Cardinals have not closed the door on either. Yet the lack of meaningful progress in Memphis raises legitimate questions about timelines and roles for the rest of 2026.
Blaze Jordan has taken over at third base and held his own. Nathan Church has stepped into center field. The big-league club has continued to play competitive baseball while these two work through their issues. For Gorman and Scott, the path back now requires more than just showing up. They need sustained production that forces the front office’s hand. So far, that has not happened.
