Why Cardinals Felt Now Was Time to Demote Victor Scott II

The St. Louis Cardinals made a difficult, but correct decision officially on Tuesday when they sent Victor Scott II down to Triple-A and activated Nathan Church off the Injured List.

With Scott, the massive upside is there. It's hard not to see that. This season has just been a struggle so far for him offensively. It's important to note that he's still just 25 years old. He played in 53 games in the big leagues in 2024, 138 games in the majors last season, and now 61 games so far this season. Offensively, things haven't worked out so far this season and he was slashing .194/.276/.258 with a .534 OPS, two homers, nine RBIs, and nine stolen bases before being sent down.

He's been elite defensively and is in the 88th percentile in outs above average, but the offense just hasn't been there. So, now he'll try to right the ship down with Triple-A Memphis.

On Tuesday, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol joined KMOX Sports and shed some light on his conversation with Scott and what the next steps are for him.

Oli Marmol Opened Up

Apr 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"That was a tough conversation, man, with Vic. It really was," Marmol said. "This is a guy, I don't have to tell you guys, he's a hard worker. He's going to do everything you ask him to do and it just wasn't translating at this level at the moment.

"There's certain adjustments he needs to make. There's a certain way he's being pitched that's made it really, really tough on him. It's not because of a lack of effort, determination, or work. He's going to go down to Triple-A. He's going to put his head down and he's going to do everything possible to get back up here. But in the meantime, Church is ready to go and I'm excited to have him in the lineup."

Scott has the talent to be a long-term piece for this organization. Now, it's just about finding a way to put it all together. Hopefully, this trip to Triple-A will be a step in the right direction.

On Tuesday, the Cardinals were immediately rewarded with Church back in the lineup. In his first game back, he went 3-for-4 and the Cardinals took down the New York Mets, 7-0. St. Louis is now eight games above .500 at 36-28. The vibes are high with the team overall. Hopefully, Scott can work his way back into the mix at some point.

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