Jordan Walker “will play every day” on the home stretch for the Cardinalsmanager Oliver Marmol told The Athletic's Katie Woo and other reporters yesterday after St. Louis brought the top prospect back from Triple-A Memphis. After debuting with a solid rookie season in 2023, Walker has hit just .151/.229/.233 in 83 batting appearances at the MLB level this season, and the Cardinals have kept him at Triple-A for much of the season. Although his performance in Memphis this year has been mediocre, the Cards have seen enough to bring Walker back for extended playing time, ideally laying the foundation for Walker to remain in the lineup as a regular in 2025 and beyond.
Some space was made for Walker in the Cardinals’ outfield when Tommy Pham was designated for assignment one day after the team first placed Pham on waivers. Woo writes that Pham welcomed the news and even discussed such a move with the Cards, as he now has a chance to get more regular playing time on another team. If he joins another club before Sunday, Pham will also be eligible for that new club's postseason roster.
More from NL Central…
- Red wines manager David Bell MLB.com and other media informed about the status of two injured starters, Hunter Greene started playing catch and Andrew Abbott is scheduled to begin a throwing program next week. Greene hasn't thrown since Aug. 13 due to right elbow inflammation and there were concerns last week that his season might be over, but Bell indicated that Greene aims to return before the end of the year. Abbott also plans to throw again in 2024, though Bell said the left-hander is still “working hard.”a pinch” in his sore shoulder. Abbott has been out of action since August 20 with a shoulder strain. With Cincinnati out of the playoff race, it stands to reason that one or both Greene or Abbott could be taken out of the game at the first sign of a setback, but of course both pitchers would prefer to keep playing and try to finish on a high note.
- Andrew McCutchen was activated by the Pirates' 10-day injured list yesterday as the franchise icon returned from two weeks off due to left knee inflammation. The franchise icon hit 2 for 5 with a home run in Pittsburgh's 10-8 loss to the Guardians, and McCutchen is now hitting .238/.337/.415 with 17 home runs in 442 batting appearances in his 16th major league season. In the corresponding move to activate McCutchen, Pittsburgh placed the right-hander Ben Heller on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his right shoulder.
