The Cardinals optioned Walker to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Walker began his MLB career with a 12-game hitting streak, but he was slashing just .192/.250/.231 over his last 28 plate appearances and had been absent from the Cardinals' lineup for the first two games of their four-game series in San Francisco. He'd also been struggling defensively and St. Louis did need to clear up the logjam on the outfield portion of the depth chart, but this demotion still arrives as rather shocking news given Walker's top-prospect pedigree and respectable .718 overall OPS. Taylor Motter is back on the roster in a corresponding move.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Working on swing
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Walker has been out of the Cardinals' lineup the last two games in order to work on his swing, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Specifically, the Cards are working with Walker on getting the ball in the air. The 20-year-old has a hard-hit rate in the 78th percentile and max exit velocity in the 96th percentile, but his groundball rate is over 60 percent. "This is a guy who hits the ball at the top of the league, so if he learns how to get it off the ground there are a lot of extra-base hits and homers awaiting him," manager Oli Marmol said. The Cardinals have a boatload of outfield options right now and it's unclear whether he will be back in the lineup Wednesday.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Not in starting lineup Tuesday
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Walker is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Giants.
Walker didn't play in Monday's series opener, but there are different circumstances Tuesday considering it will be a bullpen game for the opposing Giants. The 20-year-old rookie outfielder seems certain to appear off the bench at some point, perhaps early on if a favorable matchup arises. Alec Burleson is in left, Dylan Carlson is in center and Lars Nootbaar will be in right to begin the night.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Sitting again Monday
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Walker is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Giants.
Walker is taking a seat for the second time in three games with right-hander Alex Cobb on the mound for the Giants. Alec Burleson will handle right field duties with Lars Nootbaar in center and Tyler O'Neill getting the start in left.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Not starting Saturday
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Walker will sit Saturday against the Mariners.
Walker comes with a ton of prospect pedigree, and while his .271/.311/.400 slash line (98 wRC+) in his first 19 games isn't amazing, it's at least a fairly respectable start to his career. The Cardinals have a crowded outfield and expect to compete this season, however, so it's not too surprising to see him hit the bench for the second time in four games. Lars Nootbaar slides to right field, while Dylan Carlson starts in center.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Scores three times in big win
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Walker went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored in Wednesday's 14-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
After opening his major-league career with a 12-game hitting streak, Walker went just 1-for-16 over his next five contests. He broke out of that slump with a solid showing Wednesday, which also included his second steal of the season. The 20-year-old is slashing .269/.310/.388 with two home runs, nine RBI, eight runs scored and two doubles through 71 plate appearances, though his 2:17 BB:K is a slightly concerning mark.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Out of lineup Tuesday
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Walker is out of the lineup Tuesday versus the Diamondbacks.
Tyler O'Neill is in left field, Dylan Carlson is in center and Lars Nootbaar is in right as the Cardinals' crowded outfield shuffle continues to cause headaches for fantasy managers. Alec Burleson will serve as the designated hitter.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Gets first day off Friday
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Walker is not in the Cardinals' lineup Friday against the Pirates.
It's the first day off this season for Walker, and it comes after his historic 12-game career-opening hitting streak came to an end in Thursday's series opener versus the Pirates. Alec Burleson is in right field and batting second Friday, with Tyler O'Neill covering left field and hitting seventh.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Swats second homer
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Walker went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Brewers.
The rookie capped the scoring on the night by taking Eric Lauer deep in the third inning. Walker has lived up to his spring hype so far, batting .355 (11-for-31) through his first eight big-league games with two doubles, two homers, one steal, two runs and seven RBI, but his 0:6 BB:K suggests he could slow down once big-league pitchers have a book on him.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Launches first big-league homer
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Walker went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Atlanta.
He slugged his first MLB homer in the seventh inning, a solo shot off Michael Tonkin that got the Cardinals on the board, before adding an RBI two-bagger in the ninth. Walker has come out of the gate firing, batting .333 (8-for-24) through his first six big-league games with a homer, a steal and five RBI. The 20-year-old is positioning himself to be one of the early favorites in what could be a crowded race for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Swipes first big-league bag
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Walker went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays.
After a 1-for-5 showing in his big-league debut Thursday, Walker made a bigger impact the second time around, bringing home Nolan Arenado in the eighth inning with a single before swiping second base. Walker stole 22 bases on 27 attempts at Double-A in 2022. The 20-year-old could make a big impact in that category this season even if the rest of his offensive game experiences some growing pains.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Hitting eighth Opening Day
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Walker is starting in right field and batting eighth for the Cardinals on Thursday versus the Blue Jays.
The wunderkind won a spot on the Opening Day roster with a huge spring but gets a difficult Opening Day matchup against Alek Manoah. Walker has the potential to move up in the Cards' batting order if he hits well, though he may remain stuck toward the bottom for a while given the depth of the lineup.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Officially added to roster
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The Cardinals selected Walker's contract and added him to the 40-man roster Wednesday.
The transaction was merely a formality after Walker was informed days earlier that he would be included on the Opening Day roster, but St. Louis officially cleared a spot for him by designating reliever Anthony Misiewicz for assignment. Earlier Wednesday, manager Oliver Marmol told Katie Woo of The Athletic that Walker will be included in the lineup for Thursday's season opener versus the Blue Jays, and the 20-year-old and Lars Nootbaar should occupy the corner-outfield spots for St. Louis on a near-everyday basis, with the ballpark dimensions likely to determine who mans left or right. Walker earned his way on the Opening Day roster after posting a .791 OPS with three home runs and two steals in 20 Grapefruit League games.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Will be in Opening Day lineup
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Cardinals manager Oli Marmol confirmed Wednesday that Walker will be in the Opening Day lineup Thursday against the Blue Jays, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Marmol's announcement comes as no surprise after the 20-year-old top prospect was informed Saturday he had made the 26-man major-league roster. Walker will start in one corner-outfield spot Thursday, with Lars Nootbaar covering the other. Tyler O'Neill or Dylan Carlson will patrol center field.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Will be on Opening Day roster
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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters that Walker will be a part of the Opening Day roster for St. Louis, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
It's no longer a big surprise, but still exciting news. Walker is widely considered one of the top hitting prospects in the sport, and in his first 62 plate appearances of the Grapefruit League he's hit .295 with three home runs while stealing two bases. If there's one concern it's that Walker hasn't shown much patience at the plate in Florida as seen in a .306 on-base percentage and 1:13 BB/K, but his power with an ability to make hard contact all over the field has been readily apparent. Even with some likely highs and lows in his rookie campaign as a 20-year-old, Walker is well worth a roster spot in any league he's eligible in.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Returns to action Tuesday
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Walker (shoulder) is starting in left field and batting third in Tuesday's spring game against the Astros, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The 20-year-old will end up missing only one game after he exited Saturday's Grapefruit League contest with a strained right shoulder, which appears to confirm the early indications that the injury isn't a serious concern. Walker is pushing for spot on the Opening Day roster, but it may not be long before the top prospect makes his MLB debut even if he begins the campaign in the minors.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Planning to hit Sunday
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Walker said his strained right shoulder is "no big deal" and plans to take batting practice in the cage Sunday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The 20-year-old suffered the injury on a head-first slide into second base Saturday, but he won't require an MRI and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Walker won't play Sunday but is expected to be back in the lineup for St. Louis on Tuesday after the club's scheduled day off Monday, per Denton.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Day-to-day with strained shoulder
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Walker was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain Saturday but is considered day-to-day for now, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Walker suffered the injury on a head-first slide into second base in Saturday's game against the Astros. A shoulder strain certainly isn't a good thing for the young slugger, but the fact that he's considered day-to-day means he presumably still has a chance to push for an Opening Day roster spot. An updated timeline could emerge after Walker is re-evaluated Sunday, however, so he's not out of the woods yet.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Precautionary exit
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Walker exited Saturday's game against the Astros for precautionary reasons, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Walker has been one of the top stories of camp, hitting .478/.478/.826 with three home runs through 11 spring games. While he's yet to play above Double-A, he seems to have a legitimate shot to break camp in the big leagues. Even a minor injury could send him to Triple-A to complete his spring build-up at the start of the season, though for now, Walker has avoided a specific injury diagnosis. He stayed down for several seconds after a head-first slide into second base in the first inning and did not take the field for the next frame, instead walking to the clubhouse with a team trainer.
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Cardinals' Jordan Walker: Competing for Opening Day role
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Walker will attend big-league spring training and will be given a chance to compete for the Cardinals' Opening Day starting role in right field, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
The Cardinals' top prospect, Walker is coming off a banner 2022 campaign in which he submitted a .304/.386/.508 slash line while striking out at a manageable 21.6 percent clip over 536 plate appearances at Double-A Springfield. The 20-year-old followed up the impressive season with a strong showing at the Arizona Fall League, prompting the Cardinals to extend him the opportunity to break camp with the big club. Unless Walker is receptive to signing a team-friendly extension prior to Opening Day, he still looks like a long shot to begin the season in the big leagues, especially with projected corner outfielders Lars Nootbaar and Tyler O'Neill both entering the spring healthy and having enjoyed some level of previous success with the Cardinals. That being said, Walker's ceiling appears to be much higher than either Nootbaar or O'Neill, so if an injury doesn't open up an opportunity in the majors, Walker may not have to wait long for a call-up if he continues to mash at the upper levels of the minors early on during the 2023 season.
