Jordan Walker hits the IL for the Cardinals just as he was finally getting hot

The runway season has not gone according to plan for Jordan Walker this year, and now the former top prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals is heading to the injured list.

Walker has been placed on the 10-day IL due to left wrist inflammation. The Cardinals are also optioning Gordon Graceffo to Memphis after another rough outing yesterday, leading the club to call up right-handed reliever Roddery Munoz as well as outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A.

Jordan Walker's wrist injury could not have come at a worse time for the Cardinals' outfielder

Walker, who has posted a .926 OPS over his last five games, has begun to hit the ball with more authority as of late, and although there were still plenty of flaws in his game and reasons to be concerned long-term, it was a nice run of success for the 23-year-old outfielder. Over his last 15 games, Walker's slash line was .273/.289/.432 with 11 RBI.

Still, he's striking out almost 40% of the time and not walking nearly as much as he did to begin the season, and although his defense had taken strides this year in a meaningful way, he has to figure things out at the plate if he is going to be a part of the Cardinals' lineup long-term.

In the immediate future, this does allow the Cardinals to play Alec Burleson every day against right-handers in right field and work Nolan Gorman into their lineup more frequently, something manager Oliver Marmol was candid about having a difficult time doing recently.

While this is a frustrating development for Walker and his growth, this is an opportunity for both Burleson and Gorman to run with more playing time and try and carve out bigger roles for themselves. Burleson could use this stretch to make himself an essential part of their lineup, while Gorman, if he plays well, could force the Cardinals' hand into starting him more frequently again. If both of those things happen, it will make things even more complicated when Walker returns.

We will update the situation as more is made known about Walker's injury, how long he is expected to be out, and how this may impact the Cardinals' lineup moving forward.