ST. LOUIS — As Oli Marmol sat in his office ahead of Wednesday’s 5-1 series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the St. Louis Cardinals manager was asked to explain his team’s first big roster shuffle of the season. With the offense sputtering, Marmol made the decision to option slumping outfielder Jordan Walker to Triple-A Memphis.
“It’s not something you want,” Marmol said. “It’s not something anyone wants for him. But the situation does call for it.”
Demoting Walker came as somewhat of a surprise given the pivotal role the Cardinals envisioned for him. He was named the starting right fielder months before spring training and had factored in as a secondary power-bat for an offense with high expectations. But one look at Walker’s numbers could justify the decision. In 20 games this year, Walker hit .155 with a meager .497 OPS and zero home runs. His swing hardly looked better than his line. Walker looked out of sync in most of his at-bats. His lower body wasn’t aligned with his torso, his ground-ball rate had skyrocketed to nearly 50 percent and his poor pitch selection had led to opposing pitchers hammering at spots low and away — and Walker swinging and missing.
In turn, the Cardinals sent him to Memphis, where Walker could fine-tune the issues that had plagued him for the last several weeks. Walker can address his mechanics without the pressure of sustaining performance at the major-league level.
“We’ve had a lot of discussion around it, and in thinking what’s best for Jordan at the moment for continuing his development, going down to a lower-stake environment and working on the things he’s been trying to work on over the last several weeks here made the most sense,” Marmol said. “Good conversation this morning, and he felt good about going down there and getting to work and being able to get back to producing, feeling good about where he’s at swing-wise and pitch selection-wise in order to get back up here and help us.
“If he’s not going to be in the lineup every day, at his age, then the best thing for Jordan Walker is to go down and play every day and get where he needs to get to.”
Initial thoughts: Optioning Walker allows him to figure out his swing. He’s struggled, specifically with pitches down and away, and his ground ball rate mirrors what it looked last season when he was sent down.
If the Cardinals want to be at their best, they need Walker right. https://t.co/JHj4QY7YYk
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) April 24, 2024
Walker’s struggles are somewhat intertwined. His inability to lay off the offspeed pitches low and away makes it difficult to regulate his stance and posture. Chasing pitches outside the zone also makes it difficult to find pitches to do damage with, which can explain why he’s reverted to such a high ground-ball rate. Walker is most effective when he drives the ball hard and in the air. He has not had much success doing that this season.
“(The struggles) go hand in hand,” Marmol said. “They don’t have to, but I think one amplifies the other. It’s hard to stay connected and do what you want to do from a posture standpoint and holding your backside, some of the things they’ve been working on, and keep that while swinging at pitches down and away.”
José Fermín will replace Walker on the roster and serve as a right-handed bat off the bench. Fermín was the final roster cut of spring and caught fire with Memphis to start the year, posting a .350 average with a 1.108 OPS and four homers. The Cardinals also optioned Zack Thompson to Memphis and recalled John King. Thompson will resume a starting pitching schedule and continue to serve as a depth option for the rotation — his original role before Sonny Gray became injured.
Walker will take the next two to three games off for Memphis before playing as a regular. The Cardinals plan to use Michael Siani as the everyday center fielder while rotating Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson between the corner outfield and designated hitter roles in Walker’s absence.
Walker will not be under any specific timeline to return. The Cardinals will not rush him but will certainly welcome him back with open arms once he can produce consistently again.
(deep breath)….. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! #STLCards
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— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 24, 2024
At 11-14, the Cardinals aren’t where they want to be, but they’re not far off. The starting pitching has been commendable, the defense has been stellar and the back-end of the bullpen has been lights out. It’s not difficult to pinpoint the team’s troubles. In their choice to option Walker, the Cardinals hope it’s a short stay in Memphis that brings long-term results, both for the player and for the team.
(Photo of Jordan Walker: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
