Cardinals call up promising top prospect and place veteran on the injured list

The St. Louis Cardinals enter their series against the Cincinnati Reds with a record of 60-58. They are in second place in the National League Central and 1 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race.

Before the series opener, the team announced some changes to the roster. Former top prospect Jordan Walker is on his way back to the major league club.

“Jordan Walker has been recalled from Memphis,” the Cardinals wrote on Twitter. “Matt Carpenter has been placed on the 10-day IL retroactively to August 9 (lower back strain)

In his final 17 games with Triple-A Memphis, Walker posted a slugging average of .324/.380/.648 with an OPS of 1.028.

The timing of Walker’s promotion is good for the Cardinals, as they face left-hander Andrew Abbott tonight, who has struggled against left-handed pitchers. Adding a right-hander should help them overcome their issues and improve their offensive output.

Walker had a strong rookie season in 2023 but had a rough start to 2024. He was sent back to Triple-A on April 24 after posting a poor .155 average through the first month of the season.

In Memphis, however, he seems to have turned things around, and his return should give the Cardinals new momentum on offense.

The offense has been a weak point for St. Louis for much of the season, and they were only able to score three runs in their loss to the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

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