Alec Burleson Fantasy Stats

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson reached the break at .273/.337/.468 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI, and the damage could have been worse. Statcast has him at a .294 expected average and .540 expected slugging percentage. He also finished with 19.7 expected homers, nearly five more than the real total. That is a loud gap for a hitter already producing. Burleson has not sold out to get there. His strikeout rate sits at 15.1%, while the hard-hit rate jumped to 48.7% and the barrel rate to 11.6%, both career highs. Left-handers are still the problem, holding him to a .195 average, but St. Louis kept him in the lineup and used him at first base in 91 of 94 games. The profile says hold, or buy before the power catches up. A bigger second half is very much in play.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson came ready to hit during Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. Burleson went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk during the 9-7 victory. The Cardinals moved on from multiple key hitters this offseason, which allowed for Burleson to move into the three-hole on Thursday. Given the results, Burleson figures to stick in the spot for now. The 27-year-old should offer good upside as the three-hole hitter, even in this lackluster Cardinals' lineup. Last season, Burleson slashed .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI in 139 games. There's enough upside with his bat to warrant rostering Burleson in most fantasy formats.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson had a rock-solid season in 2025, hitting .290/.343/.459 with 18 home runs, 69 RBI, 54 runs scored, and five stolen bases across 546 plate appearances. The 27-year-old upped his barrel rate from 6.5% in 2024 to 9.8% in 2025 while still limiting his swing-and-miss and posting a 14.5% strikeout rate. The lefty-swinging Burleson has been limited to big-side platoon duties at certain points in his Cardinals' tenure, but that does not appear as though it will be an issue in 2026. St. Louis traded veteran first baseman Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox over the offseason, opening the door for everyday first base duties to Burleson. Burleson's underlying power metrics are more good than great, so he may not provide fantasy managers with 30-home run power. However, he's a good bet to be one of the better batting average assets at his position and could be a player worth targeting in the middle rounds of drafts heading into 2026.

Outfielder/infielder Alec Burleson is set to be the St. Louis Cardinals' everyday first baseman in 2026, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The move comes after St. Louis dealt Willson Contreras to the Red Sox earlier this week for right-handers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita. With Contreras gone, Burleson will move over to first base after spending most of 2025 in the outfield. He put together a strong offensive season last year, posting a .802 OPS and .275 xBA with 18 home runs, 69 RBI, 54 runs scored, and five stolen bases, good for a 124 wRC+. He also showed excellent plate discipline, striking out just 14.5% of the time. Defensively, Burleson graded out as a below-average outfielder, but he did make 38 starts at first base in 2025, so the transition shouldn't be much of an issue. From a fantasy perspective, Burleson offers dual eligibility and is expected to play every day, including against left-handed pitching after showing real improvement against them last season. Looking ahead to 2026, Burleson projects for up to 25 home runs with a .270 batting average while hitting in the middle of the Cardinals' lineup, making him a player who should be rostered in both 12- and 15-team leagues.

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday that they activated first baseman/outfielder Alec Burleson (wrist) from the 10-day injured list and designated infielder/outfielder Garrett Hampon for assignment in a corresponding move. The Cardinals have yet to release their starting lineup for Monday's series opener in Seattle against the Mariners, but Burleson should be in it. Burleson is back in 10 days after recovering from right-wrist inflammation and should return to a regular role all over the diamond for the Red Birds in the final month of the regular season. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has been one of the more consistent bats for the Cards this year, and he'll be returning to a .286/.337/.451 slash line with a .788 OPS, 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 47 runs and five steals in 122 games. Burleson is six homers from setting a new career high.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson (wrist) is expected to come off the 10-day injured list before Monday's series opener against the Seattle Mariners. Burleson will end up with a minimum IL stay after landing on the shelf with right-wrist inflammation on Aug. 29. He underwent a pain-killing injection shortly after going on the IL, and it helped lead to a quick recovery. The 26-year-old will return with a .286/.337/.451 line, 16 homers, 60 RBI, 47 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 472 plate appearances. With three weeks left in the season, Burleson will have a chance to reach the 20-HR mark for the second straight year.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Alec Burleson (wrist) is recovering well after receiving a pain-killing injection in his injured right wrist. Burleson, who said he feels "drastically different" since the injection, could take batting practice soon, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 26-year-old may even be able to return from the 10-day injured list next week without a minor-league rehab assignment. Burleson, out since Aug. 29, only mustered a .713 OPS in 24 games last month, but he has put up respectable numbers in 2025. He owns a .286/.337/.451 line with 16 homers, 60 RBI, 47 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 472 trips to the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson (wrist) was seen playing catch ahead of Monday's game against the Athletics. It's a good sign to see Burleson playing catch after landing on the injured list on Friday due to right wrist inflammation. Burleson received an injection to help with the discomfort. The fact he is already throwing the baseball means that the injection helped. The hope is that Burleson can be activated when first eligible on September 8. Burleson has 16 home runs, 60 RBI, and five stolen bases across 430 plate appearances this season.

The St. Louis Cardinals placed infielder/outfielder Alec Burleson (wrist) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with right-wrist inflammation and called up rookie second baseman Cesar Prieto from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo. Burleson's right wrist caused him to be pulled early from Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after he also missed a game last week with the same injury. The Cardinals are hoping that he'll be recovered in another 10 days, but it's unclear if he'll be ready to return when eligible to come off the IL on Sept. 8. At least until Victor Scott II (ankle) comes off the IL, expect Nathan Church to be a regular in St. Louis' outfield. The left-handed-hitting Burleson has been one of the Cards' more consistent offensive players in 2025, as he's hitting .286/.337/451 with a .788 OPS, 16 homers, 60 RBI, 47 runs and five steals.

St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Alec Burleson (wrist) is starting in left field and batting third in Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Ryan Pepiot at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Burleson did not play on Friday against Tampa but is feeling better after the day off on Saturday, so he'll return to the starting nine. The 26-year-old left-handed swinger has never faced Pepiot in his career but has been hot at the plate of late, hitting .333/.364/.476 with a home run, double and eight RBI in his last 10 games. Fantasy managers will want to get him back in their starting lineups. In his fourth big-league season in 2025, Burleson is slashing a strong .285/.337/.449 with a career-best .786 OPS, 15 home runs, 59 RBI, 43 runs scored and five stolen bases in 451 plate appearances over 117 games played.