Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals No. 14 Prospect To Make MLB Debut After Injury

The Cardinals giving an intriguing prospect a shot...
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield took a significant hit this weekend.

St. Louis lost center fielder Victor Scott II to an ankle injury after he attempted to rop New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge of a home run. He was able to stick around for a bit after hurting his ankle, but eventually was yanked from Saturday's tilt. Now, he's going on the 10-day Injured List with an ankle sprain, per The Athletic's Katie Woo.

"The St. Louis Cardinals placed centerfielder Victor Scott II on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle sprain before Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees," Woo said. "Scott suffered the injury in the third inning of Saturday’s 12-8 loss to New York when he scaled the outfield wall in an attempt to rob a solo home run from Aaron Judge. He remained on the ground for several minutes, but stayed in the game after a lengthy visit from head trainer Adam Olsen and manager Oli Marmol.

"Scott played the next three innings in apparent discomfort and was removed from the game in the bottom of the sixth. Outfielder Nathan Church was selected from Triple-A Memphis as the corresponding move. Church, 25, has played 53 of his 86 games this season with Memphis and is hitting .335 with a .921 OPS, 11 doubles and seven home runs."

Cardinals giving No. 14 prospect first shot of MLB action

St. Louis Cardinals hat
Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Before going down with the ankle injury, Scott was slashing .223/.311/.312 with five homers, 35 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases in 116 games played.

Church is an interesting guy to follow over the next few weeks. The 25-year-old has thrived down in the minors this season. In 86 games, Church has slashed .329/.386/.524 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, 19 doubles, and five triples. That's an eye-popping amount of production in a small sample size. He's currently ranked as the No. 14 prospect in the Cardinals' farm system.

This will be his first taste of big league action after being selected in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. It's tough to see injuries pop up at any time. It will be interesting to see Church getting a shot in the big leagues, but hopefully Scott is able to make a speedy recovery and get back to St. Louis as soon as possible.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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