St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker will be sidelined for several days due to a knee injury. The 22-year-old appeared to injure himself while chasing a fly ball during a spring training game on Tuesday, when he stepped on a sprinkler head. The Cardinals secured a victory against the Washington Nationals in that exhibition match held in Palm Beach, Florida.
An MRI later revealed that Walker did not suffer any structural damage to his knee, although some irritation was noted. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol stated that the team would take a cautious approach regarding Walker’s recovery over the next week. “It is what it is,” Marmol told reporters. “We’ll let it calm down for a week, and then we’ll ramp that baby back up. And we’ll still have time to see him in plenty of spring training games.”
Walker is anticipated to be ready for opening day next month. He made adjustments to his swing during the offseason and is projected to start in right field when the regular season commences. In his career, Walker has recorded 21 home runs and 71 RBIs over 168 games, with a .255 batting average.
The Cardinals concluded last season with an 83–79 record but did not qualify for the playoffs. Under Marmol’s leadership, the team showed a 12-game improvement from the previous season. St. Louis has not reached the MLB postseason since winning the 2022 NL Central division title.
