Prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the St. Louis Cardinals, who are currently in last place in the National League Central due to their slow 10-14 start, made a number of roster changes. The choice to demote outfielder and former top prospect Jordan Walker to Triple-A Memphis stood out among them. (In order to make room on the 26-man roster for the recently promoted infielders José Fermín and southpaw John King, the Cardinals also farmed out lefty Zack Thompson.)
Walker, 21, has been mired in a miserable slump to open the year. Through 20 games, he batted .155/.239/.259 (41 OPS+) with no home runs and five extra-base hits. He had been benched in two of the Cardinals’ last three games, then received a start at DH on Tuesday night, going 0 for 3 with a strikeout and a hit by pitch in a 14-1 defeat.
The demotion is well-timed, if nothing else. Friday, April 26, will mark a year since Walker was demoted after shockingly making the 2023 Opening Day roster. He would return to the majors on June 2, and from that point onward he hit .277/.346/.455 with 14 home runs in 97 games. It’s fair to conclude that the Cardinals were hoping for more of that from Walker to begin this year. Alas, few developmental arcs are so pristine.
You might be wondering just how Walker finds himself again on the wrong side of the big-league, minor-league divide — and if there’s reason to believe he can live up to the promise that once earned him consideration as one of the game’s top prospects. Below, CBS Sports has covered four things worth knowing about his struggles and his future.
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