Burleson (ankle) is batting eighth and playing right field in Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus the Astros.
Burleson had ankle discomfort that kept him out of action for a couple of days, but he's moved past it. The 24-year-old outfielder can now resume his pursuit of a backup role in the Cardinals' outfield. He's batting .250 (4-for-16) with two RBI, three runs scored and a 4:4 BB:K through seven Grapefruit League games entering Saturday.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Scratched from Wednesday's lineup
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Burleson was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League tilt versus the Yankees due to right ankle discomfort, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Burleson can be viewed as day-to-day until the team provides an update. Moises Gomez has entered the lineup in Burleson's place in right field. Burleson is competing for playing time in the St. Louis outfield this spring but might have an uphill battle to lock in that opportunity. Therefore, the injury, however minor, doesn't help his cause.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: In corner outfield competition
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Burleson will be in competition for a corner outfield spot during spring training, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Burleson faces an uphill battle for at-bats. Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar are all ahead of Burleson, and top prospect Jordan Walker looms. There is a lot of versatility among the players in competition for these spots, so Burleson will likely have to hit his way onto the roster. It wouldn't be surprising for the 24-year-old to begin the year at Triple-A Memphis after he hit .332/.373/.534 with 20 home runs and 87 RBI across 108 games at that level in 2022.
Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Won't make wild-card roster
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Burleson won't be included on the Cardinals' wild-card roster, Katie Woo of The Athletic report.
Burleson spent the last month in the majors and hit .188 with a home run, a double, four runs, three RBI and a stolen base over 16 games. However, he'll be left off the roster for the team's first postseason series since Nolan Gorman will rejoin the major-league club due to his power and defensive versatility.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Knocks in two runs
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Burleson went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 13-3 win over Pittsburgh.
Burleson scored on Corey Dickerson's grand slam in the first inning, then knocked in Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt on a single in the second inning. The hit in Saturday's outing extends Burleson's hit streak to three games. The young outfielder has seen limited time since getting called up Sept. 8, but he has impressed recently. Despite his recent success, Burleson is currently slashing .206/.289/.294.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Swipes bag in loss
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Burleson went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Brewers.
Burleson found himself in the lineup Wednesday as the Cardinals rested a handful of starters following their division-clinching win Tuesday. Playing time has been sporadic for Burleson since his Sept. 7 call-up, as he hasn't done enough to claim a larger role. The top prospect is slashing .194/.242/.290 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored through 33 plate appearances. Considering he recorded only four stolen bases across 109 games with Triple-A Memphis, Burleson shouldn't be counted on for speed contributions in the majors.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Knocks first career homer
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Burleson hit a solo home run in his only at-bat during Friday's 11-0 win over the Dodgers.
The Cardinals got a massive game from the No. 2 spot in the order, as the legendary Albert Pujols hit two homers to join the 700-homer club in the contest. Burleson then pinch hit for Pujols in the eighth inning and delivered a solo shot for the last run of the game. That long ball was Burleson's first of his career as well as his first extra-base hit in 27 at-bats. The 23-year-old is hitting just .185, and he's playing regularly versus right-handed pitchers, though that won't matter much this weekend against a lefty-heavy Dodgers rotation. If the platoon holds, Burleson will likely sit Saturday versus Clayton Kershaw before joining the lineup Sunday against Michael Grove.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Getting more work versus righties
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Burleson will start in right field and bat fifth in Sunday's game against the Reds, Bally Sports Midwest reports.
The lefty-hitting rookie will crack the lineup for the fourth time in the last five games in which the Cardinals have faced a right-handed pitcher. With Tyler O'Neill (hamstring) going on the injured list Saturday and Lars Nootbaar expected to see more work in center field as a result, Burleson looks as though he could fill the strong side of a platoon in the corner outfield with either the switch-hitting Dylan Carlson or the righty-hitting Ben DeLuzio.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Gets first MLB call-up
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The Cardinals selected Burleson's contract from Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday.
One of the top performers in the International League this season, Burleson gets his first call-up to the big leagues after slashing .332/.373/.534 with 20 home runs in 469 plate appearances at Memphis. He'll be joining the 28-man active roster as a replacement for the injured Dylan Carlson (thumb), but Burleson could struggle to find consistent at-bats in the corner outfield behind Lars Nootbaar and Corey Dickerson or at designated hitter behind Albert Pujols and Nolan Gorman. Moreover, Burleson bats from the left side of the plate, so he won't be a candidate to replace Dickerson, Nootbaar or Gorman in the short side of a platoon.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Putting up big Triple-A numbers
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Burleson is hitting .335/.379/.562 with 19 homers, three steals and just 57 strikeouts through 85 games for Triple-A Memphis.
Those are big-time stats that will certainly write the 23-year-old a ticket to the big leagues in due time, especially since the lefty slugger has managed to hit .313 (albeit with minimal power) against same-handed pitching. Avoiding a platoon role will be important for Burleson, as he's shaping up like a guy whose glove needs to be hidden in left field (or at DH). The Cardinals have plenty of depth in the outfield, so Burleson isn't likely to arrive in the big leagues for more than a cup of coffee until next season.
Burleson is 16-for-34 (.471) in his last eight games with Triple-A Memphis.
Burleson has hit well for much of 2022, but he's been especially noticeable in the last week. Overall, the 23-year-old is slashing .321/.367/.591 with nine homers, a team-leading 30 RBI, 26 runs scored and two stolen bases in 35 games. He's seen time in the corner outfield positions -- a natural first baseman, Burleson's path to playing time in the majors is more likely as an outfielder or designated hitter since Paul Goldschmidt is the Cardinals' best option at first.
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Cardinals' Alec Burleson: Headed to Triple-A
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The Cardinals promoted Burleson from Double-A Springfield to Triple-A Memphis on Monday, Stephen Igoe of 247Sports.com reports.
The 70th overall pick in the 2020 first-year player draft, Burleson has already reached three different levels of the minors in his first season of professional ball. Between stops at High-A Peoria and Springfield, Burleson has slugged 18 home runs while reaching base at a .338 clip across 332 plate appearances. Burleson fits best defensively at first base, but perhaps in acknowledgement of Paul Goldschmidt being on the books through 2024, the Cardinals have exposed the 22-year-old to the corner outfield this season. He's made 54 starts in right field and seven in left field in 2021.
