Cardinals Have Clear Solution to Outfield Problems Waiting

The solution may be hiding in plain sight.

Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Joshua Baez (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are giving their younger players a lot of runway this season. The team is rebuilding, and they finally have the opportunity to see what these young players are made of. Some are running with the opportunity, while others haven't quite lived up to expectations.

Center fielder Victor Scott II has struggled this season, and that has led to the Cardinals offense struggling as a whole for the past few weeks. He hasn't been able to translate his minor league success at the plate to the majors.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed Scott and the production out of center field as the biggest problem for St. Louis, but proposed an obvious solution.

One easy fix for Cardinals

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez (22) throws a ball during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"(Scott's) value added on defense is nowhere near what it was last season, he has been caught stealing in four of 11 attempts and what he is proving thus far in 2026 is that he can't reliably get on base, flirting with dead last in the majors in both OBP and OPS.

"If they're in it to win it, they simply have to call up Joshua Báez, right? He has as many home runs (nine) in his last 14 games at Triple-A Memphis as Scott has in his 243-game MLB career."

Baez is St. Louis' No. 3 prospect. At Triple-A Memphis, the young slugger is hitting .254/.335/.569 with 16 home runs, 39 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .904 OPS.

Granted, the Cardinals are rebuilding, and need to give their young players as many opportunities as possible. They were not expected to contend this season. However, if they remain in contention, there is a way they can balance that with giving younger players opportunities, and that solution could be to call up Baez, put him at a corner outfield spot and move Nathan Church or Lars Nootbaar to center field.

Baez is also a right-handed bat, and the Cardinals need more of that on their roster, whether they contend or not. They haven't exactly had a top right-handed bat with power since they traded Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox last winter.

So, there is a lot of merit to calling up Baez if the opportunity arises. Scott hasn't done well offensively, but Baez could be an obvious fix to this solution. It will be interesting to see if Chaim Bloom agrees with Miller's sentiment and chooses to call Baez up.