Red-Hot Cardinals Getting Key Reinforcement Back for Mets Series

The St. Louis Cardinals have been good and are about to get even better.

Apr 25, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) reacts as he runs the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals had a much-needed day off on Monday and will kick off a three-game series against the New York Mets on Tuesday rejuvenated and expected to be reloaded.

After the three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals optioned speedy outfielder Victor Scott II down to Triple-A Memphis. It's been a tough season for Scott and now he'll try to sort it out down in Triple-A and work his way back up to the majors.

Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that the corresponding move will be activating Nathan Church off the Injured List.

The Cardinals Are Getting A Big Piece Back

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

"Can confirm what [Tamar Sher] reported last night," Jones wrote. "Cardinals are optioning Victor Scott II; Nathan Church will be activated from the IL ahead of the first game in New York."

The expectation has been that Church has been close to a return, so this report makes a lot of sense and is great for the organization as a whole. Before landing on the Injured List, Church was coming into his own offensively in the majors. He was slashing .247/.282/.390 with a .672 OPS, five homers, 18 RBIs, four stolen bases, six doubles, and 17 runs scored in 45 games played. On top of this, he was playing excellent defense. You really can't ask for much more out of the rookie.

There was a point early on this season in which both him and Scott seemed to be at a crossroads. Both were struggling offensively and with the return of Lars Nootbaar looming over the club, it was known that a difficult decision would have to be made at some point. Church took a step in the right direction and unfortunately, Scott's bat never got going.

So, the Cardinals enter the series on Tuesday already red-hot with four straight wins and a 35-28 record. While this is the case, they haven't even had a lineup at full strength yet. That could very well be the case on Tuesday if we see Church, Nootbaar, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Iván Herrera, and Jimmy Crooks all in the lineup. This is what should be exciting for Cardinals fans. We've seen the Cardinals play a lot of good baseball. but they haven't even been at their best. With Church coming back, that's a step in the right direction.