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Demoted by Cardinals Two Months Ago, Gorman, Scott, Saggese Still Finding Footing
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- Demoted by Cardinals Two Months Ago, Gorman, Scott, Saggese Still Finding Footing
(Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images)
Having already had multiple chances to succeed at the big-leaguelevel only to invariably struggle each time, Nolan Gorman , Victor Scott II and ThomasSaggese made the Cardinals' Opening Day roster back in March and hoped this timearound would be different for them.
However, with a little more than a month left in the MLBseason, all three of them still find themselves trying to find their footing withTriple-A Memphis and hoping for a call that will eventually get them back to St.Louis.
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Gorman, the Cards' primary starter at third base over thefirst 62 games of the season, was hoping for the kind of breakout season that Jordan Walker has enjoyed in St. Louis in 2026. Instead, the 26-year-old Gormanhit just .194 and saw his OPS shrink to .597 because he struck out 32.2 percentof the time (74 times in 229 plate appearances). That earned him a demotion toMemphis on June 12.
Scott II, 25, quickly became one of the most popularplayers on the Cardinals in 2025 because of his effervescence while playing thegame and his fearless defense. However, Scott II entered 2026 knowing that hehad to hit to stick in the big leagues. He had three hits in the Opening Daywin over Tampa Bay, but success quickly evaporated. When he was optioned toMemphis, Scott was hitting just .194 and his .276 on-base percentage negatedhis 98th percentile speed. The struggles even seemed to sap Scott'sswagger on the base paths as he was successful on stolen base attempts justnine times in 13 tries – after going 34 for 38 in 2025.
As for Saggese, he got inconsistent playing time in the earlygoing and it affected his hitting and he batted just .184 with 26 strikeoutsand just six walks in 32 games with the Cardinals. The club demoted him on May4, but they brought him back a day later when Ramon Urias went down with thefirst of two elbow injuries. Ultimately, the club sent Saggese to Memphis when Jose Fermin beat him out for the top utility job.
Even more damning for Gorman and Saggese and Scott is thatthe Cardinals have not gotten much production from the players who havereplaced them in the big-league level – Blaze Jordan and Fermin at third baseand Nathan Church , Everson Pereira and Fermin in center field.
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Cardinals' third basemen rank in the bottom third of the15-team National League in batting average (.213, 14th), on-basepercentage (.271, 13th), slugging (.338, 14th), OPS (.609,13th), homers (12, 11th) and RBI (56, T-11th)in 2026. Cards' center fielders haven't fared much better, ranking in the NL's bottomthird in batting average (.225, 10th), on-base percentage (.289, 12th),slugging (.332, 14th), OPS (.621, 13th), homers (10, 11th)and RBI (45, 11th) in 2026.
Cardinals Top Prospect Pushing for a Triple-A Promotion with Scorching August Surge
With that in mind, here is a look at how Gorman, Scott IIand Saggese have fared at Triple-A Memphis and how they are swinging the bat inAugust:
Nolan Gorman
Many of the same swing-and-miss problems that plaguedGorman in St. Louis followed him to Memphis. In 46 Triple-A games, hisstrikeout rate has climbed (from 32.3 percent to 36.3 percent). He has hit 13homers and driven in 29 runs, but he's still striking out twice as often as heis walking. Gorman's power has surfaced in August as he's bashed seven homers,but he is still striking out 37.8 percent of the time.
Victor Scott II
The speedy Scott might be the closest to returning to St.Louis with how he has swung the bat in August. Scott has slashed .304/.400/.420/.820this month with four doubles, two triples and four RBI. He stole his first 11bases in a row for Memphis before finally getting caught. He's stolen ninebases in 11 tries in August.
In 52 games with the Redbirds, Scott is hitting .246 and he'sgetting on base at a .332 clip. He has 11 doubles, three triples, two homers, 17RBI and 19 steals in 21 tries.
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Thomas Saggese
The former Texas League (Double-A) Most Valuable Player continuesto chase far too many pitches out of the zone as he has a 23.2 percent strikeout rate and a 10 percent walk rate in 53 Triple-A games. He does have 10doubles, 10 homers and 33 RBI for the Redbirds, while slashing.264/.339/.457/.796.
It wasn't a goodsign for Saggese, 24, when the Cards replaced the injured Pereira (left handcontusion) with Urias instead of him. Striking out three times as much aswalking (18 to 6) in August certainly didn't help Saggese's case for promotion.
