Cardinals recall former top prospect hoping they never have to send him down again

Stop me if you've heard this before! The St. Louis Cardinals are calling up outfielder Jordan Walker from Memphis, and this time, he's here to stay.

Hey, that's got to be the plan this time, right? The Cardinals placed outfielder Tommy Pham on waivers yesterday in an effort to clear a roster spot for someone like Walker down the stretch and to give Pham the opportunity to play for a contender down the stretch. Now that it is officially Walker getting the call, he should be an everyday player from here on out and given every opportunity to develop into the star the Cardinals believe he can be.

Walker has been sent down to Memphis three times by the organization since he made his debut on Opening Day 2023. The first two demotions he received were after rough Aprils, where Walker chased pitches left and right and was unable to do damage with the ones he needed to. When he was recalled in 2023, it happened just a little over a month after his demotion, and Walker went on to be 20% above league average at the plate the rest of the way and looked primed to break out in 2024.

Well, 2024 came, and Walker was demoted in late April once again for many of the same issues that plagued him upon his first demotion in 2023. But this time, Walker did not get recalled to St. Louis until August of this year, as he continued to struggle at Memphis and was only able to start turning things around in late July. Walker was recalled earlier this month to be a platoon bat for the club for a week stretch but then was sent back down with a lack of clear playing time on the horizon.

Well, now Walker is back, and considering they did not want him to stay on the roster long without an everyday role before, I imagine this means Walker will play every day starting today.

It would for sure be hyperbole to say it is now or never for Walker to prove himself to be the player we thought he could be but is sure it is a critical time in his career. The Cardinals would love to see Walker succeed down the stretch and try opening the 2025 season with him in their lineup once again. If Walker struggles down the stretch, it will only add to the chaos and frustration surrounding this organization as they enter an offseason likely full of massive changes.