Cardinals News: Erick Fedde decision, Ivan Herrera return, Jordan Walker woes

The St. Louis Cardinals are working through a rough stretch to start July, and in the month of decisions, they will have to have some tough conversations. Looking at the Erick Fedde dilemma, while also providing positive updates on two injured youngsters.

Erick Fedde remains in the rotation...for now.

The dilemma surrounding Erick Fedde and his rotation spot appears to only be a dilemma for the Cardinals' decision-makers. Looking around social media as well as just reading the back of Fedde's baseball card, it seems very clear that he should not be making his next start with the Cardinals at the bare minimum. However, the Cardinals do not yet appear ready to make a final decision on whether Fedde will be the starting pitcher the next time his turn comes around on Saturday.

Prior to the Cardinals getting blown out by the Cubs, John Mozeliak said there wasn't a spot open for rookie Michael McGreevy in the rotation, and there has not been any chatter on if the Cubs start changed that thought. Going into Thursday, the Cardinals had not yet made any roster move regarding Fedde or McGreevy so, as of now, it looks like he should be penciled in for Saturday.

The decision on whether to remove him from the rotation is a joint decision between Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol. Mozeliak would have to be the one to fully remove Fedde from the roster by way of DFA, release, or trade, while it would be up to Marmol if they want to just move him from the rotation to the bullpen. That does not seem like much of a solution since the bullpen is lacking anyone stretched out enough to take on a starter's workload.

We may not get a real answer on the situation until after the Nationals series. Miles Mikolas starts the rubber game, and after he gave up six homers his last time out, the Cardinals may want to see who is available to work in the bullpen after the start.

Ivan Herrera is nearing a rehab assignment.

DH/catcher Ivan Herrera was running in his latest injury update, and since then, it looks as if the hamstring is healing nicely for the slugger. After running the bases full speed and going through full baseball workouts, Herrera deemed himself ready for a rehab assignment. The Cardinals agree, and Herrera will be heading to Memphis at the end of the week and has his sights set on being activated from the IL shortly after the All-Star break.

At the time of the injury, Herrera was expected to miss more than a month, and he is on schedule to return slightly ahead of that timeline. The Cardinals may opt to play it safe with Herrera if any soreness or other issues pop up since he was already on the IL for a period of time thanks to a bone bruise suffered while running the bases earlier in the year.

Jordan Walker is healthy but remains in minors.

Jordan Walker has been on a rehab assignment for a sprained wrist since the end of June and even though his wrist appears to be healed, he will be remaining with Springfield for the time being. On his current assignment, Walker has only tallied three hits while striking out 12 times, including a four-strikeout game against Double-A pitching. Manager Oli Marmol acknowledged that Walker is back to full strength, but they want to make sure he can get his timing down before a call back up to St. Louis.

This is a change in strategy since Walker's last stint on the IL, when the Cardinals called him up quickly after beginning his rehab assignment with Memphis. Sending him to Springfield and using more of the rehab assignment window allows Walker to work on his swing in a low-stress environment while also not staring down a specific return date. Whether his rehab window closes or Walker turns a corner, he should be expected to be back with the Cardinals at the end of this assignment. There is an outside chance that the Cardinals could activate then option Walker to the minors, but that depends on where the team is at when they have to make a decision.