The future is bright for the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite entering a new era and trading away multiple players both before this season and at the trade deadline, the Cardinals are still hovering around the .500 mark as the farm system continues to improve.
Even if some prospects do not pan out, they have quite the young core to build around, headlined by right fielder Jordan Walker and shortstop JJ Wetherholt.
Now in his fourth big-league season, Walker has finally broken out. He impressed during his debut in 2023 but fell off significantly from 2024 to 2025. That is all a distant memory now.
Across 111 games this year, Walker has been one of the best hitters in baseball, posting a .285 batting average, .343 on-base percentage, .834 OPS, 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.
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Walker has been healthy for the majority of the season as well, appearing in nearly every game. However, he unfortunately missed his third game of the year on Tuesday.
The Cardinals were shut out against the New York Yankees, and their best hitter was not in the lineup after Walker was a late scratch with right knee inflammation. He went through pre-game warmups but was ultimately unable to suit up.
After the game, the Cardinals provided an update on his status and the plan moving forward. The team ruled Walker day-to-day with the expectation of reinserting him into the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in the Bronx.
They also provided more clarity on when the injury began, revealing that he jammed his knee while reaching a base and it locked up on him, forcing the late lineup change.
The Cardinals are playing with house money this year, and fortunately it looks like Walker will avoid the injured list as they gear up for a potential push for the final wild card spot in the National League.
