Alec Burleson homers, scores three times in victory

Burleson also singled later on. He’s up to 92 RBI, giving him one more than CJ Abrams and Sal Stewart for the major league lead. His 32 doubles lead the majors by two ahead of Rafael Devers, Matt Olson and Bryan Reynolds.

Both Burleson and Jordan Walker homered, picked up three hits and drove in four in the contest. Burleson’s homer was his 21st of the season, and it was a two-run shot off a wholly ineffective Edward Cabrera in the first inning. Burleson has put together a very strong 2026 campaign, and his .288/.355/.494 slash is evidence of that.

Burleson is the first player to reach 30 doubles this year, breaking a tie with Otto Lopez and Matt Olson at 29. He’s currently tied with teammate Jordan Walker for fourth in the majors with 84 RBI. CJ Abrams is first with 91.

The Cardinals were kept off the scoreboard for the first five innings and trailed 3-0 before Burleson’s two-run single in the sixth inning gave them life. The Cardinals rallied again in the eighth inning with Burleson hitting an RBI double and coming around to score on a Masyn Winn double, though they ultimately come up short in the 6-5 loss. Burleson is hitting .284 with an .831 OPS and 81 RBI.

Burleson was a hot name at today’s MLB trade deadline, but the Cardinals decided to hold onto him, and he rewarded them for their loyalty. This was Burleson’s first career three-home-run game, and he hit each of them off a different Yankees pitcher. Burleson has 18 home runs and 77 RBI this season to go along with a .288/.350/480 slash line.

Burleson being a popular name on the trade market does not mean he’s being traded. The 27-year-old is hitting .284/.347/.458 in 111 games this season with 15 home runs, 71 RBI, and three steals. He is also under team control for two more years after this one, which makes it unlikely that the Cardinals would decide to move on from him unless they were to get a pretty large return. That being said, Burleson has also graded out as a poor defender at every position he’s played, including first base, so the Cardinals may have concerns about the long-term fit of a player who is basically a DH.

The Cardinals had eight of the game’s nine hardest-hit balls today, with Burleson chiming in with a 107.3-mph single, and did outhit the Blue Jays 11-9, but they still lost 5-1. The team just hasn’t been able to homer since Jordan Walker’s binge during the Derby. They have only six in 16 games since, with JJ Wetherholt hitting half of those.

Burleson’s double to right center in the second was hit 388 feet and would have been a homer in 16 ballparks, according to Statcast. Burleson has collected three hits in five of his last eight games, though, oddly, he has zero hits in the other three. He’s eighth in the majors with 116 hits, tied for fourth with 26 doubles and tied for sixth with 71 RBI.

Burleson was the only batter to find much success against the Angels on Tuesday, collecting three hits in the contest. He knocked base hits in the first, fourth, and sixth innings with no runs scored and zero RBI. The 27-year-old slugger has had a solid season for the Cardinals, hitting .282/.343/.466 with 15 homers, 53 runs scored, and 69 RBI across 420 plate appearances.

Burleson’s elite first half as a run-producer wages on. With three more RBI here, he’s now tied with Nick Kurtz for fifth-most in the entire league. His first in this game came on a 107 mph double off Brewers’ starter Kyle Harrison in the first inning and the final two came on an absolutely demolished 109 mph, 443 foot home run that hit off the facing of the third deck in Busch Stadium. He’s on pace to obliterate his career-highs of 21 home runs and 78 RBI as we approach the All-Star break.