Cardinals Roster Shakeup
Cardinals Option Struggling Nolan Gorman, Promote Power-Hitting Prospect Blaze Jordan to MLB
Key Points
In addition to the Gorman/Jordan shift, St. Louis also made another roster adjustment by sending Victor Scott II down while activating Nathan Church off the injured list, with the article noting Scott has struggled in the majors and Church has been better offensively this season.
Cardinals’ decision-making on Jordan’s third-base viability appears to have been influenced by Bernie Miklasz, who said the organization had deemed Blaze Jordan “playable” at third base and credited his hard work for the successful relocation from first base.
Before the promotion, Blaze Jordan was hitting .313/.373/.548 with a .921 OPS, 11 homers, and 35 RBIs in 57 minor-league games—details not included in the summary’s basic OPS/HR line.
Jordan’s call-up also came with concrete rollout details: he was expected to start at third base and wear No. 33, marking his MLB debut while Gorman was optioned to Memphis ahead of the Twins series.
The article highlighted Jordan’s long-running power reputation, including that as a 12-year-old he competed in a metal-bat home run derby and sent multiple balls over 500 feet—background that helps contextualize the Cardinals’ willingness to bet on his bat right now.
The St. Louis Cardinals made a bold roster move on June 12, demoting struggling third baseman Nolan Gorman to Triple-A Memphis and calling up power prospect Blaze Jordan for his MLB debut. Jordan, 23, was set to start at third base that same night — wearing No. 33 — in the series opener against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, according to World Baseball Network.
The move sends a clear message from President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom: the Cardinals, sitting at 37-29, are not waiting around. Gorman, 26, had slashed just .194/.279/.318 with a 71 OPS+ this season — and went 3-for-50 with 27 strikeouts over his last 17 games, per RotoWire.
Gorman's Collapse Forces Cardinals' Hand Early
Gorman was once the future of the Cardinals' infield. He hit 27 home runs in 2023 and was handed an open runway at third base after Nolan Arenado was traded in the offseason. But his 2026 season fell apart fast. His strikeout rate sits in the 1st percentile of all MLB hitters, and his whiff rate is equally brutal, according to Sports Illustrated.
Sporting News noted that Gorman was effectively "the worst player with the bat" on the roster this season. The Cardinals had seen enough. Rather than wait until the All-Star break — as analysts say a previous front office might have — Bloom pulled the trigger in mid-June.
Blaze Jordan's Numbers Made the Decision Easy
Jordan had done everything asked of him in Triple-A Memphis. He was hitting .313/.373/.548 with an .921 OPS, 11 home runs, and 35 RBIs in just 57 games, per Athlon Sports. His strikeout rate in Memphis was only 11% — a stark contrast to Gorman's 32.3% mark in the majors.
Jordan's power reputation goes back years. As a 12-year-old, he reportedly hit multiple balls over 500 feet in a metal-bat home run derby. The Cardinals acquired him from the Boston Red Sox in July 2025 as part of the Steven Matz trade, per Sports Illustrated.
From First Base to Third Base: A Necessary Reinvention
Jordan was long considered a first-base-only player. Getting him on the field meant moving him to third base — a real defensive challenge. Local analyst Bernie Miklasz reported that the Cardinals' internal metrics upgraded Jordan from "unplayable" to "playable" at the hot corner this spring, crediting his hard work in Memphis, per Athlon Sports.
The transition was not without risk. Some scouts remain skeptical of Jordan's range at third. But MLB Trade Rumors noted that Jordan actually played more games at third base than any other position in Memphis this year — making the promotion more grounded than it might appear.
Sweeping Moves Clear the Deck for Jordan's Arrival
The Jordan promotion was one piece of a larger roster shuffle. The Cardinals also optioned pitcher Hunter Dobbins to Memphis, recalled reliever Chris Roycroft — who has shown a velocity uptick with a 96.8 mph sinker — and moved Ramon Urias to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot, per Athlon Sports. Urias had been pulled from a rehab assignment on June 6 after developing pain in his left elbow on top of an existing right elbow issue.
Earlier in June, the club had also swapped Victor Scott II (.194 AVG, .534 OPS) to Memphis and activated outfielder Nathan Church from the injured list. MLB Trade Rumors analyst Connor Byrne said the flurry of moves signals Bloom is betting on Jordan as part of a "legit contender" push — not just a patient rebuild year.
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