In a move that has sent shockwaves through Busch Stadium and beyond, St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and the front office made a seismic roster decision that places performance above projection and signals a clear urgency to contend: young slugger Nolan Gorman was activated from the injured list and immediately designated for assignment in a decision that few saw coming.
Gorman, once considered a central figure in the Cardinals’ long-term core, had been sidelined with a lower back strain since May but had struggled long before the injury. In 2025, he hit just .127 with a .204 slugging percentage across 26 games—far below expectations for a player who was once seen as the club’s next great power hitter.
During his Triple-A rehab assignment, Gorman showed little sign of a turnaround, batting just .208 with high strikeout rates in 13 games. After weeks of internal deliberation, the Cardinals opted for a decisive reset, choosing to cut ties with the 25-year-old despite his age, pedigree, and remaining years of club control.
The move, while jarring, opens the door for other infield contributors to step up—particularly Brendan Donovan, Masyn Winn, and the soon-returning Tommy Edman, all of whom have impressed defensively and offered greater consistency at the plate. It also reflects mounting pressure on the Cardinals to compete now, rather than ride out prolonged slumps in hopes of a rebound.
Gorman, a former first-round pick and top-100 prospect, still has tools that may attract interest from other teams—but with minor-league options exhausted and his trade value diminished, a release or low-return deal seems most likely.
Financially, the Cardinals are not burdened—Gorman remains under arbitration control—but the message is unmistakable: performance, not potential, earns playing time in St. Louis.
This kind of midseason move is rare for a franchise long known for patience and loyalty, but fans frustrated with inconsistency may see it as a welcome sign of accountability. As the trade deadline approaches, expect the Cardinals to continue acting boldly, reshaping the roster around players who can produce under pressure.
In St. Louis, the rebuild is over—the standard is winning, and the time is now.
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