The St. Louis Cardinals’ offense has been among the strongest in baseball to start the 2025 season, though not every player is performing at their peak.
Masyn Winn, who struggled through spring training and got off to a slow start, has begun to turn things around over the past week. He, along with just two other regular starters, currently holds an OPS below .700. Alec Burleson, despite posting a .660 OPS so far, is still batting a solid .270.
The biggest concern at the plate right now is first baseman Willson Contreras. In 49 at-bats, he’s hitting just .102/.170/.143 with 22 strikeouts. Entering the season as arguably the Cardinals’ top hitter, Contreras has been completely out of sync offensively.
As the Cardinals host the Philadelphia Phillies, they’ll be giving Contreras a day off. In his place, a new face will be stepping into the No. 2 spot in the lineup to take on Aaron Nola tonight.
Jordan Walker is batting second in what could end up being a new-look top of the lineup for the Cardinals
Batting second tonight for the Cardinals will be right fielder Jordan Walker, who’s off to a solid start in 2025. After a disappointing campaign last season, Walker has bounced back with a .282/.378/.359 slash line. While he hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire, he’s contributed consistently and now gets the chance to hit between Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan at the top of the lineup.
There’s been growing speculation about moving Willson Contreras down in the order, and tonight’s lineup could be a preview of how that might look. It’s unclear what the Cardinals plan to do when Contreras returns on Saturday, but if they do shift him down, this setup might be the template.
Personally, I’m not convinced they’ll actually drop Contreras in the lineup just yet—but if Walker puts together a big performance tonight, that could force their hand. If Ivan Herrera weren’t on the injured list, he’d almost certainly be getting a shot near the top of the order. But with him sidelined, the Cardinals are currently pretty limited when it comes to right-handed options.
Outside of Contreras and Walker, the Cardinals’ right-handed options are fairly limited. Nolan Arenado is firmly entrenched in the cleanup spot and isn’t going anywhere, while Masyn Winn—despite his recent uptick—is probably going to stay in the lower third of the lineup for now.
Pedro Pagés, Thomas Saggese, and Yohel Pozo aren’t realistic options for that No. 2 spot at this point, and while Luken Baker does see opportunities in the middle of the order against lefties, he’s not likely to slide into that role consistently either.
On the left-handed side, Alec Burleson and Victor Scott II are in the mix, and Nolan Gorman will be returning soon, but stacking three lefties in a row atop the order could cause matchup problems later in games, especially when opponents bring in lefty specialists out of the bullpen.
As for Contreras, while no one can guarantee he’ll snap out of his slump—just look at how Paul Goldschmidt’s struggles from earlier in the season never fully turned around—it doesn’t feel like Contreras is physically declining.
His swing and tools still look intact; it’s more about confidence and approach. Mentally, he seems rattled, and it’s understandable if the Cardinals want to ease that pressure by moving him down the order temporarily.
Jordan Walker, for now, seems to be the most logical placeholder in that two spot. But there are reasons to question whether he’s ready for it. His .282 average and .378 OBP are encouraging, and he’s clearly seeing the ball better—his walk rate has jumped to 11.1%, and his chase rate has improved—but the power just isn’t there.
His .359 slugging is a career low, and a .077 ISO is far below what you’d want from someone expected to spark the offense near the top of the order. The batted-ball profile is a bit concerning too: a 59.3% ground ball rate (10th highest in MLB) and just an 11.1% line drive rate, which ranks 149th out of 179 qualified hitters, paint the picture of a guy who’s making contact but not driving the ball.
That said, the approach does look more mature, and he seems much more composed in the box compared to last year. If the patience holds and he starts lifting the ball more, the power may follow. The Cardinals are clearly hoping that the combination of plate discipline and a few bounces can unlock the next level for him.
For now, it’s a gamble, but probably a necessary one. If Walker can settle in and keep improving, he might grow into the role. If not, the Cardinals might be looking at a lineup shuffle again very soon.
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