Nolan Gorman's Demotion Signals Trouble for St. Louis Cardinals

Nolan Gorman Optioned to Triple A

ST. LOUIS — Pressured to unlock a lineup that can score runs, the St. Louis Cardinals shook up their active roster yet again prior to Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cardinals optioned Nolan Gorman to Triple-A Memphis, as his subpar offensive performance and glaring strikeout rate became too much of a problem to ignore. Utility infielder Tommy Edman was recalled as the corresponding move.

Impact of Gorman's Performance

Gorman’s demotion comes on the heels of Jordan Walker’s option to the minors. After one week in the majors, Lane Thomas was called up ahead of Tuesday’s series opener to make room for Jack Flaherty, who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The flurry of roster moves over the last two days is a distress call for a Cardinals team circling the drain. Manager Oli Marmol and his coaching staff have tried virtually every version of a lineup, attempting to generate offense. Those attempts have been futile, as the Cardinals have lost 12 of their 17 games in August and enter play Wednesday.

Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman strike out with the bases loaded. The Cardinals lose 3-2. Brutal. — Katie Woo (@katiejwoo)

Reasons Behind the Demotion

The decision to option Gorman came after his August OPS dropped to .508. He was hitting just .212 on the month and had not homered or driven in a run. That’s a far cry from the production needed from a power hitter. But one look at Gorman’s stats could suggest this move was long overdue.

Swing-and-miss has always been a part of Gorman’s offensive profile, as most power hitters trade higher strikeout rates for higher power production. However, the power was not consistent for Gorman this year and became non-existent in the second half. After slugging 17 homers (but driving in only 47 runs), Gorman has homered only twice since the All-Star break and has not homered since July 22.

Still, it was the strikeouts that ultimately did Gorman in. His 151 strikeouts over 402 plate appearances have given him a whopping 37.6 percent strikeout rate — the third-highest rate in all of baseball this season.

Future Outlook for the Cardinals

Expect Edman to take over as the everyday second baseman, which would open the door for more playing time for Ivan Herrera and Juan Yepez. The Cardinals still plan on utilizing some version of a platoon with certain players, but it’s not expected to be as extreme as the one they implemented over the last week. Fermín will be used as a defensive replacement off the bench, with Baker reserved for pinch-hitting situations against left-handed relievers.