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St. Louis right fielder Jordan Walker left the Cardinals' spring training game against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday with left knee pain, the team has announced. Walker will undergo further testing.
The injury occurred in the second inning as the 22-year-old was pursuing a fly ball. Walker stayed in the game for his next at bat and struck out before being removed from the contest.
The former Cardinals first-round draft pick is coming off an underwhelming 2024 season in which he split time between the Major Leagues and Triple-A. In 51 games with St. Louis, he hit .201 with five home runs and a 71 OPS+. Walker has gotten off to a slow start this spring as well, hitting .154 in five games with strikeout in half his at bats.
Still, fans have seen his potential. In 2023, he hit 16 home runs and batted .276 over 117 games. Walker entered this spring hoping to establish himself as a young star.
“I have high standards for myself,” he told St. Louis TV station KSDK in February. “I want to be one of the best players now, so whatever can help me get there, maybe I rush myself too much, but I think that to be great, I'm going to have to drive myself, make myself a little uncomfortable.”
As long as his knee ailment does not end up hurting him long-term, Walker will probably have a chance to work out his struggles in the majors. The Cardinals are in a rebuild and seem intent on letting their young players prove they belong.
Walker is fine with that, and thinks the team might be better than expected.
“I’ve played with these guys throughout the minor leagues. I know what they’re capable of,” he said. “The maturity aspect, how they carry themselves, how we carry ourselves, it’s something you don’t see all the time. So I’m really excited to take some teams by surprise.”
