Cardinals once again preaching patience in their former top prospect

The focus on the St. Louis Cardinals this week is going to be around the players who find themselves rumored in trade talks, but the projected 2026 lineup has plenty of storylines of its own. A trade of Nolan Arenado and/or Brendan Donovan will create openings in the infield, but the outfield looks to be mostly set.

Manager Oli Marmol still believes in Jordan Walker's potential.

Lars Nootbaar is currently rehabbing after a scary heel surgery, making it hard to count on him to be ready for Opening Day. That makes it likely that we will see an outfield of Silver Slugger Alec Burleson in left, Gold Glove finalist Victor Scott II in center, and former top prospect Jordan Walker in right field. There seemed to be some clamoring for Walker to spend some time in the minors next year and use up his final option in what seems to be a make-or-break year from a fan's perspective.

After being rushed to the majors in 2023 and beginning his career with a 12-game hitting streak, Walker began a long stretch of struggles at the plate and in his new outfield position. In 162 games from 2024 and 2025, Walker has struck out 176 times and hit hardly over .200 with just 11 homers. For a prospect who was projected to be a yearly 40-homer threat, it is safe to say he has not lived up to his hype just yet. Those final two words are key, as Walker is still just 23 years old and will be entering his third full season in the majors. That type of experience at such a young age could provide the outfielder with a solid foundation for a long career as long as he can implement what he has learned so far.

According to Jim Bowden, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told the former GM that he still believes in Walker's potential and hopes we can continue to be patient with his progress. I do not believe that a demotion to the minor leagues should be completely counted out for Walker, but I am also on board with giving him a consistent opportunity, regardless of outcome, at the major league level.

With the Cardinals not really expected to compete for the postseason in 2026, there is little harm in giving Walker 500 at-bats next year. The biggest concern, to me, would be if he were to continue to struggle and have it wear on him mentally while also trying to make physical changes. Because of how young he is, and with the current state of the organization, the Cardinals can be patient enough with Walker to focus on minor changes over a long period of time rather than a massive swing overhaul. In his short time as a major leaguer, Walker has already undergone multiple adjustments to his approach, but there were also some comments from the coaching staff that he did not completely buy into what the coaches were trying to say.

Until there is an update on Lars Nootbaar, we can reasonably assume that Jordan Walker will be playing right field every day in 2026. Even if Noot is healthy, the Cardinals believe that Walker is best suited to learn at the major league level and we should continue to be patient in his offensive development.