With Nolan Arenado back, Nolan Gorman is out of the Cardinals lineup Monday for the first time in over a month.

Gorman last sat on Aug. 12. Alas, he didn’t much take advantage of his opportunity to be a lineup fixture during Arenado’s absence, hitting just .198/.298/.351 with five homers in 38 games since his own return from the injured list on Aug. 1. After following up a promising 2023 with two seasons as essentially a replacement-level performer, he’s not someone who should be penciled into the Cardinals’ 2026 lineup.