The St. Louis Cardinals are in the middle of a top-to-bottom rebuild that will see many players take new roles with the team in 2026.

One of those players will likely be infielder Nolan Gorman.

The versatile infielder was used in a variety of ways this past season.

Gorman played 41 innings at first base, 215 innings at second and 410.1 innings at third in 2025 for the Cardinals.

On offense, Gorman slashed .205/.296/.370 with a .666 OPS in 111 games. He hit 14 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs with 46 RBIs. He had multiple stints on the injured list due to ta right hamstring strain and lower back pain.

The former first round pick didn't have an efficient year behind the plate but there's reason to be optimistic about Gorman's outlook in 2026.

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According to a post on "X" from Just Baseball's Tobey Schulman, Gorman's slugging percentage in June was among the best in the major leagues.

He had a slugging percentage of .526 in June with six home runs. He ranked third in the majors in batted balls hit in the air, behind American League MVP finalist Cal Raleigh and Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

Gorman was unable to continue on his stellar June due to suffering his back injury in July. He was placed on the IL July 19 (retroactive to July 13) and was out until Aug. 1.

Gorman will likely be an every day starter for St. Louis in 2026. The organization traded first baseman Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado and second baseman Brendan Donovan have also both been linked to trade rumors through the entire offseason. If Arenado and/or Donovan are dealt, one of the roles will likely go to the organization's top prospect, J.J. Wetherholt.

Gorman is just two years removed from a stellar season in 2023 where he slashed .236/.328/.478 with an .806 OPS in 119 games. He hit 27 home runs with 76 RBIs. 

Gorman has been one of the better sluggers on the team over the last two seasons but has been unable to put together an entire MLB season. He played just 107 games in 2024 but hit 19 home runs with 50 RBIs.

The team's Silver Slugger winner from this past season, Alec Burleson, likely has a better opportunity to carve out an everyday starting role.

But Gorman's power tool provides him a unique advantage among the rest of the Cardinals roster, which could lead to the 25-year-old getting a longer opportunity in 2026, provided he can stay healthy.

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