Cardinals Next Player At Risk of Demotion After Victor Scott II

The St. Louis Cardinals have shown that they aren't afraid to shake things up in the majors.

Jun 5, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) slides head first at home and scores against the Cincinnati Reds during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have made a tough decision to demote speedy outfielder Victor Scott II down to Triple-A.

Over the last few weeks, there has been speculation about Scott's standing with the organization. That was because he was struggling offensively and it was known that an outfield logjam would be on the way soon as Lars Nootbaar and Nathan Church inched towards returns. Nootbaar has returned and Church should be back as soon as Tuesday against the New York Mets. Because of this, the Cardinals opted to send Scott down to Triple-A to try to get back on track.

If there is one thing that the Cardinals have shown over the last few weeks, it's that they are not afraid to make a change if someone is struggling in the big leagues. The Cardinals' offense was struggling in general, and the Cardinals responded by promoting catcher prospect Jimmy Crooks and outfielder Nelson Velázquez. When the Cardinals got Nootbaar back into the mix, the Cardinals optioned utility man Thomas Saggese down to Triple-A. Over the last few weeks, the Cardinals also cut ties with Matt Pushard. Now, Scott is heading down to Triple-A as well. So, with the Cardinals clearly not afraid to make a change, who could be next?

Who Could Be Next To Go Down To The Minors?

May 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Matt Svanson (49) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Arguably, the guy to watch is reliever Matt Svanson. He already has been demoted down to the minors once this season. Svanson was promoted back to the big league club on June 5 as Ryan Fernandez was placed on the Injured List. When Fernandez is ready to return, he should immediately be brought back to the big league roster. The easiest way to do so would be to send Svanson back down to the minors. Svanson hasn't gotten into a game yet since being brought back up to the big league club. Overall, he has pitched in 24 games so far this season, and he has an 8.77 ERA in 25 2/3 innings pitched in the majors.

After being sent back down to the minors, Svanson pitched in four games with Triple-A Memphis and didn't allow a run in 5 2/3 innings pitched. With the Cardinals playing well right now, there actually aren't a lot of clear options on who could be sent down next. That's a positive for the club and shows they are playing well. But if anyone is going to be next to go down, it would be Svanson.