Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Monday that Church will get some run in left field while Lars Nootbaar (heels) is sidelined, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Jose Fermin and Thomas Saggese are the others in the mix for left-field reps. Church is the only one of the three that bats left-handed and that's a natural outfielder, which could give him a leg up for playing time early on. However, Marmol noted Monday that he does not plan to employ a strict platoon. Church is known more for his glove than his bat, but he have a breakout year offensively with Triple-A Memphis in 2025, slashing .329/.386/.524 with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases.