CINCINNATI — The confluence of events the Cardinals sought before bringing prized prospect Jordan Walker back to the majors found them Monday along the banks of the Ohio River.
Walker has been riding a hot streak they cannot ignore, and all they needed was a roster spot for him to fill.
Matt Carpenter was diagnosed Monday in Cincinnati with a sore lower back, and in unavailability in the coming days promoted a roster move that placed him on the 10-day injured list and recalled Walker from Class AAA Memphis. At the trade deadline, Cardinals officials said that if Walker returned to the majors, he would do so only if there was playing time for him.
Manager Oliver Marmol said earlier this season that there was a place for Walker in the Cardinals' outfield as soon as the young, talented hitter asserted some improvements in his swing.
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Walker has hit .349 with a .404 on-base percentage this month for the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate. He's slugged .679 in 10 games with a 1.078 OPS and seven extra-base hits. Five of the nine home runs he's hit for the Redbirds have come in his past 15 games, and that includes a handful of homers that traveled at least 410 feet individually.
Walker, 22, was the Cardinals' opening day right fielder this season, and in 20 games in the majors he hit .155 with a .259 slugging percentage. The Cardinals demoted him to Triple-A to work on his swing so that he generated more contact and more power more consistently while also hitting the ball more often on a line or in the air. They wanted to see him turn his natural strength and exit velocity generated into extra-base hits, not smash singles through the infield.
In 78 games for the Redbirds at Memphis, the right handed-batting outfielder has hit .257 with a .321 on-base percentage and .426 slugging percentage. He has a .747 OPS.
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman presented in Monday morning's newspaper all the reasons he wanted to see Walker promoted ahead of the Cardinals doing just that.Â
The Cardinals begin a three-game visit to Cincinnati on Monday night. They have been seeking for most of the season more right-handed authority from the lineup.
Additional information on Walker's return and Carpenter's injury will be available at later Monday from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.