Cardinals fans melt down over former Tigers player after brutal loss to Blue Jays

Outfielder Ryan Vilade had a forgettable run with the Detroit Tigers last season, posting a slash line of .178/.208/.244/26wRC+ in 49 plate appearances. Vilade's run with the Tigers in 2024 marked his return to the Major League level for the first time since the 2021 season with the Colorado Rockies. As is customary for players like Vilade, living on the fringes of a Major League roster, he moved on from the Tigers during the offseason in favor of an opportunity with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Vilade has since returned to the Major League level, this time with the Cardinals, but St. Louis fans are wishing he hadn't. During the Cardinals' 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings on Monday, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol turned to Vilade as a pinch hitter for Nolan Gorman. The move backfired as Vilade struck out during his only two plate appearances in the game.

Vilade's first strikeout of the game came when the Cardinals had a scoring opportunity in the seventh inning after Nate Burleson doubled. Marmol called upon Vilade to seize the scoring opportunity and was rewarded with a strikeout.

It was a curious move, to say the least, as while Nolan Gorman has had his struggles this season, he still would have been a worthwhile gamble in that situation instead of Vilade. Before being replaced by Vilade in the seventh inning, Gorman was 1-for-2 in the game. After his strikeout in the seventh inning, Vilade also struck out in the ninth inning.

Former Tiger Ryan Vilade catching grief from Cardinals fans in 2025

While Marmol did not have great options in that situation, it's worth mentioning that catcher Yohel Pozo was not used in Monday's game. If Marmol were looking for a spark offensively, Pozo, hitting .298 with a home run through his first 20 games this season, would have been the better option than Vilade.

At the time of Vilade's entry into the game in the seventh inning, Marmol still had two catchers on his bench in Pozo and Pedro Pages, meaning there shouldn't have been a fear that had Pozo entered the game in the designated hitter's spot. The Cardinals still would've had a backup catcher in case of an emergency.

It would be a safe bet to assume, as was his time with the Tigers, Vilade won't have an extended run at the Major League level with the Cardinals. He could get run out of town before he even logs 10 games in St. Louis.