ST. LOUIS -- The A’s are learning more and more about Lawrence Butler with each passing day. On Monday night, they got a glimpse of his capabilities as a center fielder.

While breaking in on a well-struck liner by Lars Nootbaar in the third inning of Oakland’s 7-5 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Butler snuck a peak toward the infield and noticed that baserunner Willson Contreras was already on his way from second to third. It was reasonable for Contreras to think the ball was going to drop given that Nootbaar’s drive carried an expected batting average (xBA) of .900, according to Statcast. Instead, that decision led to Butler producing his first defensive highlight as a big leaguer.

Covering a projected 53 feet at a sprint speed of 25.6 feet per second, Butler went into a slide and robbed Nootbaar of a hit. With Contreras already at third base at the time of the catch, Butler jumped up and carefully tossed the ball to Zack Gelof at second base, officially recording his first Major League assist.

“Off the bat, I kind of knew I was going to catch that one,” said Butler, who credited first base/outfield coach Mike Aldrete for providing guidance on where to be positioned on the at-bat. “I trusted the card [Aldrete] gave me and I was in a good spot. As I’m running in, I kind of saw Contreras take off and I was like, ‘This is an easy double play.’ I just made sure I caught it, got up and threw it to [Gelof] for the double play.”

Much of the hype surrounding Butler -- Oakland’s No. 5 prospect -- in his rapid ascent from Double-A to the Majors this season has focused on his progression as a hitter. But the A’s have been just as encouraged by his development as an outfielder, particularly in center, the spot where he has played the least over five seasons in the Minors.

Receiving the start in center for three of his first four Major League games, Butler is making a strong early impression on his manager, Mark Kotsay, who knows a bit about the position having played 17 big league seasons as a center fielder.

“He’s got good instincts,” Kotsay said of Butler. “I think he could get better out there with his route running. But he’s got the ability to play out there. I loved his break on that ball coming in and he got his first outfield assist. It was a great play.”

The hitting side of Butler’s game also continued to show up, with his one-out single in the seventh sparking a go-ahead three-run rally that featured an RBI double by Zack Gelof and two-run single by Seth Brown.

After going hitless in his debut on Friday, Butler has now registered a hit in each of his past three games. More importantly, he is consistently driving the ball to the opposite field, which is an approach he has often demonstrated during his success throughout the Minors.

“I’m really just trying to hit it where it’s pitched,” Butler said. “If they throw it out there, I’m going to try to hit it out there. If they throw it in, put a barrel on it and get out front. Just take what the game gives me.”

One of the few firsts left for Butler in the big leagues is to experience a victory, which evaded the A’s in frustrating fashion for a second straight night. Taking a two-run lead into the bottom of the seventh, the duo of Angel Felipe and Francisco Pérez combined to walk four batters in what ended up a four-run frame to give the Cardinals a late lead they never relinquished.

“These last two nights, it comes down to free bases and our inability to throw strikes and execute pitches,” Kotsay said. “We thought we had gained a lot of ground in that area of being able to limit the free bases, but tonight, it got us again. Whenever you put guys on base and don’t attack the zone, you’re going to give up runs. That was the story tonight.”