Nolan Gorman

He won't get to face longtime Cubs batterymate Kyle Hendricks. After an exceptional spring (.405/.511/.649 in 45 PA), Contreras has opened the regular season 0-for-18 with eight strikeouts. Taking him out of the lineup makes room for Nolan Gorman, who is DHing while Alec Burleson plays first base.

The Cardinals' plan all winter was to trade Nolan Arenado and install Gorman at third, but with Arenado invoking his no-trade clause, Gorman is back fighting for time at second base and DH. Things will get complicated for the Cardinals in a good way if Gorman performs well in his limited role. He didn't, however, provide much reason for optimism while hitting .189/.232/.321 this spring.

Gorman made contact all three times up, but none of it was very hard. One imagines he'll be on the bench most days at the beginning of the season. He just isn't a part of the Cardinals' best lineup right now.

Burleson was in an 0-for-9 slump that had left him with a .200 average through 30 at-bats. The homer today off Bowden Francis was his second of the spring. It appears that he's fighting Nolan Gorman to serve as the Cardinals' DH against right-handers. He should win out there, but the Cardinals really don't want to write off Gorman, who was going to be the team's third baseman if a Nolan Arenado trade got done.

The Cardinals are looking at Burleson as more of a first baseman than an outfielder these days, but realistically, he's going to DH most of the time he's in the lineup. He's now in a little bit of a position battle there, since it looks like Nolan Gorman might be in line to see much of his time at DH, too. Neither is hitting this spring; Burleson has a .619 OPS, while Gorman has come in at .521.