Why Cardinals are likely to keep starting a .522 OPS hitter in center field

The St. Louis Cardinals are having a fantastic 2026 season, especially compared to the expectations coming into the year as a rebuilding team.

However, it's not all great for the Cardinals. As good as JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker have been, other players are struggling mightily for the Cardinals.

One starting outfielder, Victor Scott II, has a .522 OPS this season, which is bad enough that he could be replaced. But, according to ESPN's David Schoenfield, the Cardinals' struggling hitter is not likely to lose his starting job in center field, and for good reason.

Cardinals' Victor Scott II likely to keep CF job despite .522 OPS

"The Cardinals have a league-average offense, but for now, they're content to run with Scott in center field," Schoenfield writes. "... It makes sense to give Scott one more season as a regular and see if he improves enough at the plate to stick as a starter."

With how Scott has played this season, with -0.6 bWAR in 51 games with a .197 batting average and a .522 OPS, it is tempting to give up on him and find a new center fielder.

But, if there's any team in Major League Baseball that should be willing to give a young player a chance to develop at the MLB level, it would be this Cardinals team.

Not only are they still a rebuilding team, despite what their record might indicate, but the Cardinals have also just seen the fruits of their patience with Walker's breakout.

MORE: 5 reasons to believe in Jordan Walker's breakout for Cardinals

Walker came into the 2026 season with -2.6 career bWAR, and he's already turned his career bWAR mark positive through the first few months of the 2026 season.

If the Cardinals gave up on Walker last year, or before his 2026 season, then it would've been a colossal mistake. Scott might not break out like Walker, but it's worth seeing if he can at least improve from now until the end of the season.

If Scott can't turn things around, then Chaim Bloom can look for a center fielder replacement. But Scott is only 25 years old, and he had a 2.2 bWAR season in 2025, and is worth giving an extended look to this season.

The Cardinals are likely to keep Scott as the starting center fielder for now, as there's not much reason to take him out of the lineup when the Cardinals are a rebuilding team, and they've already been rewarded for their patience before with an outfielder.

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