Cardinals Scratch Banged-Up Rookie Ahead of Pirates Finale

The St. Louis Cardinals scratched Nathan Church shortly before their contest on Thursday afternoon.

Apr 29, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) and left fielder Nathan Church (27) and second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) and center fielder Victor Scott II (right) celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

When the St. Louis Cardinals announced their starting lineup on Thursday morning, Nathan Church was in it and starting in left field.

Take a long lunch break with us! pic.twitter.com/4NA0wPSJHW

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 21, 2026

Something changed, though. Shortly afterward, the Cardinals shared an updated lineup with Church out of it and José Fermín starting in left field.

Updated lineup for today's game: https://t.co/pUjehBWdBY pic.twitter.com/lnZSPlDHe2

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 21, 2026

The Cardinals Outfielder Was Scratched

May 4, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) catches a fly ball against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This is certainly something to monitor for the Cardinals now. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol shared that Church is a bit beaten up right now, so the club wants to avoid using him on Thursday.

"Just a little beat up," Marmol said, as transcribed by Brenden Schaeffer of MLB.com. "So in talking to him, give him the day. Get Fermín in there, try to stay away from him today as much as possible, and then get him ready for that Cincy series."

He has been a bright spot for the Cardinals so far in a season full of green flags. He struggled out of the gate offensively, but has completely flipped the script. He has played in 45 games and is slashing .247/.282/.390 with a .672 OPS, five homers, 18 RBIs, six doubles and 17 runs scored. Church also has been excellent defensively for the Cardinals. He hasn't committed an error yet this season and is in the 83rd percentile in arm value and 92nd percentile in arm strength.

If Church does just need the day, the Cardinals will be fine with Fermín filling in. St. Louis will finish its three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon before kicking off a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday on the road.

If Church ends up needing more time, there are options down in Triple-A worth considering for an MLB promotion. Cardinals No. 3 prospect Joshua Báez has gotten a lot of buzz down with Triple-A Memphis. He has played in 41 games so far this season and is slashing .239/.315/.497 with 11 homers, 28 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. Nelson Velázquez was a Spring Training standout and has seven homers and 20 RBIs on the season so far down with Triple-A Memphis. Lars Nootbaar is on a minor league rehab assignment down in Triple-A right now and is going to be back in the majors at some point in the near future as well.

Any time you see a guy get scratched, it's a bit concerning. The Cardinals are covered, but Friday will be important for the young outfielder.