St. Louis

Cardinals

Church’s first game back from the injured list after missing a little over two weeks was a good one. The 25-year-old hasn’t set the world on fire in his first season as a (mostly) full-time player, but there have been enough good moments for a 260/.294/.407 slash in 2026. He should be in center more often than not with Victor Scott II no longer on the roster, so those looking for a spark in NL-only leagues can keep Church on the radar.

Herrera had gone just 4-for-25 in the month of June prior to this game, so perhaps this is the game that gets the 26-year-old going again. He singled twice and doubled; the latter being the 13th of the season. Herrera has put together a competent season despite the early struggles to begin the month with a .264 average and .803 OPS.

Burleson essentially put the game away with a two-run blast in the fifth inning off Freddy Peralta to extend the lead to 6-0. He also added an RBI double to give him three on the day and 46 on the season. Burleson isn’t a fantasy superstar, but he’s having an outstanding season that has paired those aforementioned RBI with nine homers and a .293/.360/.472 slash. You can do a heck of a lot worse than that.

May easily outdueled Freddy Peralta, and continues his hot run after a less-than-spectacular beginning to his campaign. The 28-year-old allowed only four hits — only one of those for extra bases — and he struck out six against a single free pass. May has looked the part and then some as of late, and his 4.21 ERA is more impressive when you consider it was 6.98 just a few outings ago. He’s worth streaming consideration next week against the Padres, with that start scheduled for Monday.

Church missed a little over two weeks with his left shoulder strain. He’s up and will take over as the starter in center, with Victor Scott II heading to Triple-A Memphis to make room for Church on the active roster.

As expected, Scott will head to Triple-A with Nathan Church expected to come off the injured list. The 25-year-old outfielder has hit just 194/.276/.258 in 184 plate appearances. While his speed makes him someone that fantasy managers should track, the lack of offensive upside makes it hard to imagine he’ll ever be a relevant player.

Nathan Church will presumably come off the IL to replace Scott and play center field most of the time. Scott is hitting just .194/.276/.258 with nine RBI in 184 plate appearances this season, and while his defense has been above average, it hasn’t been quite as good as last year. He needs to make some real progress offensively before getting another chance. His 24 percent strikeout rate wouldn’t be so bad if he had real power, but since he doesn’t, he needs to make quite a bit more contact.

O’Brien’s save was his 17th. He pitched around a one-out double to slam the door on the Reds, sealing a 5-3 victory for the Cardinals. O’Brien’s ERA is 3.68 and he’s blown four saves already. Still, in the current closer landscape, he’s been one of the more consistent ninth inning guys.

McGreevy gave up five hits, walked none and struck out five. The 25-year-old allowed solo home runs to Matt McClain and Tyler Stephenson in the third inning, but otherwise wasn’t scored on. He has a 2.99 ERA as his excellent season continues. McGreevy will face the Twins on the road next weekend.

Winn gets a much-needed breather after playing every inning in each of the team’s last 15 ballgames. He has seen his offensive performance fall off substantially once again this season, slashing just .236/.318/.322 with only two homers, 24 RBI and five stolen bases through his first 239 plate appearances. Jose Fermin will start in his place at shortstop and bat seventh for the Cardinals on Sunday against Reds’ right-hander Rhett Lowder.