With injuries having kept outfielders Tyler O'Neill and Dylan Carlson shelved for much of May, the at-bats and innings in the outfield have in turn given rookie Alec Burleson the opportunities to find his swing.
In 14 games since coming in to replace an injured Carlson during a May 14 road game against the Red Sox, Burleson is 11-for-36 (.306) after batting .214 in 28 games before that stretch. Burleson entered Monday’s two-game, I-70 series opener against the Royals with just as many walks (four) in his last 14 games as strikeouts.
“He went through a stretch there where he lined out quite a bit and then went through a stretch where it almost felt like he was trying to do a little more than he needed ad then getting back to just, ‘I'm taking my at-bat,’” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Burleson.