Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The St. Louis Cardinals are a surprising 27-19, but several underperforming players on the 26-man roster are quickly turning into major liabilities.
- Pitchers Ryne Stanek and Justin Bruihl suffer from poor command, while prospects Thomas Saggese and Victor Scott II have seen their bats completely stall.
- For a surging team that plans on competing deep into the fall, upgrading these weak bench and bullpen spots before June 1 is vital to staying on top.
The St. Louis Cardinals have defied expectations by going 27-19 in their first 46 games, thanks largely to a slew of breakout performances. Jordan Walker is playing like an MVP candidate, Riley O'Brien is as dominant as any closer not named Mason Miller in the National League, JJ Wetherholt is an immediate star, even Michael McGreevy is anchoring the rotation.
That's not to say their roster is perfect, though. These four players have been really struggling, and if they don't pick it up in the coming weeks, they could establish themselves as liabilities by the start of June.
RHP Ryne Stanek
Signing Ryne Stanek to a cheap one-year deal made sense. Sure, he was coming off a rough season, but he had success in the past and has always had tremendous stuff. It's safe to say that so far, the experiment has not been working. Stanek has a 6.52 ERA in 22 appearances and 19.1 innings of work.
Sure, he's generated plenty of whiffs, but command has been a major issue. Stanek has issued 16 walks in 19.1 innings, walking nearly a batter per inning. His 17 percent walk rate is good for the second percentile according to Baseball Savant, and even when his stuff has been in the zone, he's allowed a ton of hard contact.
The Cardinals' bullpen has been better than anticipated, but Stanek is arguably the weakest link. I get that the Cardinals had hoped for this to work out, but it'd be better for them to admit their mistake rather than continue to push it with a guy who, frankly, hasn't pitched well in a couple of years.
INF/OF Thomas Saggese
Thomas Saggese was once one of the top prospects in the Cardinals' system, so I understand St. Louis wanting to give him a shot at succeeding at the MLB level, but it just hasn't worked. Saggese entered this season with a .628 OPS in 100 career MLB games, and that mark has taken a hit as he's slashed .164/.211/.194 in 25 games in 2026.
Saggese offers some versatility by playing three infield positions and even some left field, but he is now a .590 OPS hitter in 125 big-league games. That is just not going to cut it. If the Cardinals plan on competing, they ought to upgrade Saggese's bench spot sooner rather than later.
LHP Justin Bruihl
Four Cardinals relievers are tied for the team lead with 22 appearances. Riley O'Brien and JoJo Romero, the two best relievers on the team, are on that list, but so are Stanek and Justin Bruihl, arguably the worst relievers on the team. As bad as Stanek has been, Bruihl might be even worse.
Stanek's ERA is higher than Bruihl's 5.03 mark, but you can at least talk yourself into believing Stanek will turn it around thanks to his track record and the fact that he's still striking people out. Bruihl has never been a consistently reliable big-league reliever, and his 13.2 percent strikeout rate is one of the lowest in the sport. In fact, Bruihl has fewer strikeouts (12) than walks (13) this season, so it's not as if he has impeccable command, either.
I'm not quite sure of the role Bruihl should be expected to serve. Sure, he's a second left-handed reliever, which the Cardinals could certainly use, but lefties are hitting .263 with a .370 OBP against him, so it's not as if he's been getting lefties out with any regularity. It is absolutely time for a change to be made.
OF Victor Scott II
Easily the biggest name on this list is Victor Scott II, previously one of the top prospects in the Cardinals' organization. The Cardinals hoped he'd be their center fielder of the future, but as is the case with everyone on this list, it just isn't working. Scott has been nothing short of a liability.
Scott's bat has never been good, but he's performing worse than he ever has this season, as his .189/.248/.261 slash line would indicate. His .509 OPS is the sixth-worst among the 228 players with at least 120 plate appearances. What makes Scott's offensive struggles even more frustrating is that he hasn't even been that great in areas he had previously excelled.
Scott still has ridiculous speed, but he has only six stolen bases in 10 tries. He's still playing good defense in center field, but even that has regressed from the Gold Glove-caliber defense he played in 2025. I understand being committed to giving Scott at-bats knowing that if he could ever hit at even a league-average level, he'd be a very valuable player. But we're in year three of this experiment, and his at-bats are only getting worse. Scott has options, and the Cardinals have other players worth trying out. If Scott isn't considered a roster liability now, there's certainly a good chance he will be by June 1.
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