Cardinals Slugger's Resurgence Could Lead Him Back Into Fold For 2026

This Cardinals slugger is starting to reclaim his stroke.

Aug 18, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (16) circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals aren't playing for much of anything at this point in the 2025 season. At 64-66 and five games back in the National League Wild Card race, the best the Cardinals can do at this point is to hope to play a little spoiler down the stretch when they match up against contending teams. They are rebuilding, and the focus is on the future.

However, that doesn't mean there can't still be small successes that ultimately pay off long-term. In fact, they have watched some key players step up when given the opportunity to do so. Nolan Gorman has taken the bulk of the playing time at third base in Nolan Arenado's offense.

While his defense isn't as good as Arenado's, his bat appears to be coming around, and Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants points out that if Gorman continues his resurgence, this could be a good sign for the Cardinals in 2026 and beyond.

Gorman's Resurgence Could Bode Well For Cardinals In 2026

"For much of the 2025 season, Gorman has been the odd man out playing time-wise, but that has changed as of late. Since June 7th, the day Gorman was back in the starting lineup after four consecutive days without a start and seemingly the beginning of more consistent playing time, he's second only to Willson Contreras on the team with a 125 wRC+, posting a .239/.337/465 slash line, very similar to the kind of production he had during his breakout 2023 campaign," Jacobs wrote.

"While his 178 plate appearances in this stretch are only seventh on the team, he's made the most of them, and if he finishes the year on this kind of trajectory, the Cardinals will have real reason to hope that they've got their exciting power bat back in the fold."

Gorman is hitting .225/.325/.415 with 12 home runs, 38 RBI and a .740 OPS on the year. He also has a 108 OPS+. While not quite where he was in 2023, the 25-year-old infielder still possesses great power from the left side of the plate, and if he can rediscover that stroke, the Cardinals could have somebody truly special to build around as they try and focus on the future and what things will look like when Chaim Bloom takes over for John Mozeliak.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Gorman factors into the 2026 plans.

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