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The rookie third baseman, who fielded an inning-ending ground out from Sal Stewart, stopped because he wanted to give thanks to first baseman Alec Burleson for cleanly fielding his throw, which one-hopped Burleson after it bounced off the lip of the infield grass.

鈥淚 didn't have a great grip on the ball, and I was just trying to get rid of it,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淚 just had to get it over there. 鈥� I've got full trust in him to catch it. I just knew if I got it over there, he was going to be able to catch it.鈥�

For Burleson, the scoop was what he described as a part of his job at first base.

It鈥檚 what he鈥檚 鈥渉ere to do.鈥�

As of this week, the role Burleson plays in receiving throws can be measured by more than the appreciation shown by teammates. It can be measured by Statcast in outs above average in receiving, where Burleson leads qualified major league first basemen with plus-7.

鈥淏efore, it was 鈥榯hank-yous.鈥� Now, we have it on paper and the thank-you turns into an out above average. ... It's definitely cool,鈥� Burleson said Wednesday. 鈥淚 don't know how I can manipulate that stat to make it better. I'll be trying to find ways to do that.鈥�

Statcast debuted its first base receiving leaderboard late Wednesday night. The metric ranks first basemen on receiving throws from across the infield. It factors throws that are on target, bounced or needed to be scooped. (A bounce is classified as a throw that bounces 15 or more feet from the bag. Scoops are throws that bounce within 5-15 feet from the bag.)

A first baseman鈥檚 ability to receive throws that are low, high and wide is also factored into the metric. Each throw from second base, shortstop and third base is given an out probability based on the types of throws. Base runners鈥� speed and their location are also factored. The metric only factors throws within an 8-foot perimeter of the base, per Statcast.

Burleson leads in receiving outs above average while ranking first in throws that are bounced, second in throws on target and third in scoops. The Dodgers鈥� Freddie Freeman ranks second in receiving OAA with a plus-6.

Statcast鈥檚 new metric has data available going back to the 2021 season.

鈥淵ou can create as many metrics as you'd like ... he (Burleson) does a really nice job. Guys like throwing across the diamond to him. He picks it well,鈥� Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said.

Burleson, who leads the majors in RBIs with 92 and doubles with 33, stepped into full-time first base duties this year. Primarily a first baseman before turning pro, Burleson spent the majority of his minor league innings learning the corner outfield spots and was mostly an outfielder once he arrived at the majors in 2022. He appeared at first base in 50 games in 2025 as the backup to Willson Contreras.

His start Wednesday marked the 123rd game he鈥檚 appeared at first base in this season. The full-time role came after the offseason trade of Contreras opened a lane for Burleson to return to his natural position.

鈥淣o work in the minors, so it's definitely a different kind of first base,鈥� Burleson said. 鈥淕oing into spring knowing that's probably going to be my job and I can solely focus on first base, that allowed me to just continue to try and get better over there.鈥�

Before Statcast debuted its new metric, Burleson said he had talked with those around him about the outside perception of a first baseman鈥檚 job. The Cardinals first baseman recalled talking about how 鈥�90%鈥� of his job is to 鈥渃atch to the ball鈥� and the other 10% he described was fielding grounders.

He felt there wasn't much context available for the value first basemen bring in picking throws in the dirt and with other fundamentals of the position like footwork.

Now he has numbers he can point to.

鈥淚t's good to be recognized for that and just to see where you stack up against the rest of the league. ... It gives you a better view that first base isn't that easy,鈥� Burleson said. 鈥淚t's not as easy as people say it is.鈥�

Cards adding Fleming

The Cardinals are adding left-handed reliever Josh Fleming on a minor league deal and plan to send him to Class AAA Memphis, per Post-Dispatch reporter Derrick Goold.

Fleming pitched most recently in the Cubs system and made one MLB appearance earlier this season with the Blue Jays. Fleming, 30, has made 81 appearances in the majors since debuting in 2020 with the Rays. A former fifth-round pick of the Rays in 2017, Fleming was born in Bridgeton, grew up in Columbia, Illinois, and played for Webster University.

Prospect Rodriguez sets career high

Top Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez turned in one of his most productive performances as a pro Tuesday night with Class AA Springfield (Missouri). The 19-year-old Rodriguez totaled a career-high four hits in five at-bats and drove in two RBIs during a 4-3 win over the Arkansas Travelers. While hitting second for the S-Cards as the affiliate鈥檚 starting catcher, Rodriguez singled three times and doubled once.

Rodriguez鈥檚 double, which was hit to the right-center field gap and hopped over the wall for an automatic double, came in the fourth inning of the win and drove in two runs to provide a 2-0 lead. The four-hit night improved Rodriguez to a .310/.388/.537 slash line. He鈥檚 batted .429 and slugged .776 through his first 12 games of August.

Extra bases

• Joshua Baez鈥檚 absence from Wednesday鈥檚 starting lineup was a standard off-day for the rookie outfielder, Marmol said.

• Outfield prospect and 2026 first-round draft pick Trevor Condon collected a single, a double and stole a base in his minor league debut on Tuesday for Class Low-A Palm Beach. Condon was selected 13th overall by the Cardinals during July鈥檚 MLB draft. He started in center field for Palm Beach during his pro debut.

• Former Cardinal Paul DeJong was named one of five members of the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the university announced on Wednesday. DeJong was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection before being drafted by the Cardinals in 2015.