Cardinals' Victor Scott II Returns after Tough Stretch

The Cardinals gave Scott a break on Friday.

Apr 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) catches a line drive hit by Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (not pictured) during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals lost a tough game on Friday night to the Seattle Mariners, falling 3-2 in the series opener. That was just the first game of a stretch with 17 games in 17 days.

The offense appears to have cooled off just a bit, and the same can be said for outfielder Victor Scott II, who was given the night off in the series opener against Seattle. The 25-year-old is hitting .197/.254/.213 with just four RBI and a .467 OPS.

However, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat reported the lineup for Saturday's game against Seattle, and Scott is back in the lineup, batting ninth and playing center field against Bryan Woo.

Victor Scott II returns to lineup

Apr 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II (11) takes his batting gloves off after striking out against the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

What Scott lacks at the plate, he makes up for with his elite defense and speed. As long as Scott can get on base at the end of the lineup, he can be a key contributor for this offense.

The Cardinals had an off-day on Thursday, so perhaps two days off can help him reset a little bit. The Cardinals need his speed in the lineup and his defense out in center field. He has gotten off to a decent start before cooling down, but Scott is going to be a key piece of the puzzle in the future for St. Louis.

Scott made his major league debut back in 2024 and became the everyday center fielder in 2025. Nathan Church started in his place at center field on Friday night against the Mariners, while Jose Fermin played in left field, Church's usual spot.

The Cardinals need Scott to start hitting if they want to keep their offense going. They are now 14-11 heading into Saturday's game and appear to potentially be coming back down to earth a little bit. They need to keep their offense hot to stay in the mix, but they are rebuilding this year, so the focus won't exactly be on winning as many games as possible.

But perhaps a couple of days off will help Scott reset and get back to where he needs to be. It will be interesting to see what he is able to do at the plate as he returns to the lineup. Despite struggling a bit, there are still ways he can help the Cardinals out and keep them in the race despite going through some tough times. His offensive struggles haven't made him useless.