Alec Burleson Sitting Against Southpaw
4 months agoSt. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson will head to the bench on Monday for the series opener against the hosting division-rival Cincinnati Reds with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. Burleson will get a day of rest after starting each of the team's last nine games. Jordan Walker will play right field and bat seventh in his return to the big-league team, while catcher Willson Contreras will serve as the designated hitter and bat second against Reds lefty Andrew Abbott. Pedro Pages is catching and batting eighth. Burleson is having a breakout campaign in 2024 in his second full season, slashing .277/.311/.463 with a .774 OPS, 20 home runs, 67 RBI and seven steals in 110 games. However, he's hit just .205 (24-for-117) with three of his 20 homers against lefties on the year. The return of Walker could mean that Burleson finds his way to the bench more often against southpaws.
Source: MLB.com - John Denton
Source: MLB.com - John Denton