Jordan Walker can't catch a break as injury woes continue for Cardinals outfielder

Jordan Walker just can't seem to catch a break, can he?

The St. Louis Cardinals came into the 2025 season with full intention of allowing Walker to play every day and amass over 600 at-bats as he works his way back into his status as an acending star in today's game, but for the second time this season, Walker is expected to miss signifcant time due to an injury.

The Cardinals have placed Jordan Walker on the injured list once again

The club announced today that Walker will be hitting the 10-day IL due to appendicitis, and while he'll be eligible to return on July 4th, he'll likely need to miss more time to regain strength, assuming he needs an appendectomy. This could keep Walker out through the MLB All-Star break.

This is a terrible break for Walker, who, while he has taken steps forward defensively this year, has only seemed to regress with his opportunities at the plate. On the season, Walker is slashing .210/.267/.295, and his 59 wRC+ is among the worst in all of baseball. He's worth almost -1 fWAR in his 55 games played, and honestly, it's been hard to see the light for Walker at the plate aside from a short stretch of games where he seemed to turn things around a bit.

The Cardinals have recalled utility man Jose Fermin to replace Walker on the roster for now, and they also optioned right-handed pitcher Michael McGreevy to Memphis and cycled reliever Matt Svanson back into their bullpen.

The Cardinals are really lacking production from the right side of the plate this year, and while Walker wasn't doing that at the moment, they had hopes that he could regain his swing like Nolan Gorman these past two months. With Ivan Herrera on the injured list as well, the Cardinals will have to get creative with their lineups and cross their fingers that one or both of them can return here soon.

While the pressure on Walker was already growing, one has to think that by the time he returns, it will feel like it's now or never for Walker to get things going at the plate. Assuming the Cardinals are still in the race by then, they won't have time to let Walker flounder at the plate if they want to contend, but they also really need answers on his long-term future with the organization.

The Cardinals and Walker are in a really difficult position right now, and that only got worse here today. While Walker has put himself into this spot with his poor performances, much like Dylan Carlson over the last few years, the injuries certainly have not helped. The question that Walker must answer, and the Cardinals will be eager to see how he responds to, is whether or not the injuries will be the final blow for Walker, like they were for Carlson, or if Walker will show resilience and rise above the setbacks.

In the meantime, this does help clear at-bats for guys like Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese, the former who the Cardinals have been trying to work into the lineup often as of late, and the latter is someone who will for sure see increased playing time as their next man up from the right side.