Central STL News

Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II suffered a left ankle sprain during Saturday's 12-8 loss to the Yankees at Busch Stadium. The injury occurred in the third inning when Scott attempted to catch a home run hit by Aaron Judge, covering 95 feet before colliding with the center-field wall and landing awkwardly.

Despite injuring his ankle, Scott remained in the game until later feeling discomfort while batting. Manager Oliver Marmol explained, "He was trying to play through it, but he felt it on one of his last swings when he was coming out of the box with the change of direction. Going and get it in the outfield, not so much. But the at-bat is what got him."

Scott was sent for an MRI after the game to assess the severity of his injury. With other players such as Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan also sidelined due to injuries—though not placed on the injured list—the Cardinals may need to adjust their roster if Scott cannot play in Sunday's series finale against New York.

The Cardinals' defensive struggles were compounded by this latest setback. The team lost its fourth consecutive game and slipped further behind in the National League Wild Card race.

Right fielder Jordan Walker commented on Scott’s near-catch: "It was pretty incredible what he can do. At this point you almost expect him to do it,” Walker said. “Man, if he had made that catch, it might have been the catch of the year with the amount of distance he had to cover to get there. But for Vic, it’s just second nature.”

Scott has been recognized as one of MLB’s top defensive outfielders this season, ranking sixth overall and second among center fielders in outs above average according to Baseball Savant data.

“We’re seeing a combination of his routes, his jumps, his first step and his acceleration improve," Marmol said about Scott's development this season. "And then you add the top speed to it, and he’s getting to more. But there’s been a lot of work put in, starting in the offseason, Spring Training and then the work he puts in every day with [coach Jon] Jay. But we are seeing a better version of him this season.”

Shortstop Masyn Winn added: “He’s been pretty incredible out there and that speed is something you can’t teach. The stuff he can do is pretty special.”

Pitcher Sonny Gray allowed nine hits and six earned runs over five innings against New York after previously limiting opponents like Los Angeles and Chicago in recent starts. Gray acknowledged challenges caused by wet conditions: "It was just wet, really wet, and I was fighting it,” Gray said after allowing two home runs during Saturday's outing.

The Cardinals entered Saturday trailing by three-and-a-half games for an NL Wild Card spot but fell another game back following their defeat.