The Jordan Walker saga is never-ending. When he’s being doubted, he goes on a tear; when he gets hot, he goes ice cold again. Now he’s just plain injured and it’s the latest chapter in the winding soap opera that is the Jordan Walker experience.
According to MLB.com St. Louis Cardinals beat reporter John Denton, Walker’s rehab plan had a setback after he received an injection in his right wrist. He added he wouldn’t be activated to the roster by Sunday, which is the first day he’s available to return from the injured list. Yet another ripple in a player who’s had such an up-and-down MLB career with the Cards.
A week ago, Walker was amidst one of his best stretches and leading the Cardinals on a crazy run that has them in wild card contention before the Midsummer Classic. Now he’s likely to miss more time once his 10-day IL period passes. If there’s one thing Walker knows all about, though, is adversity. This is nothing more than another dramatic tale in his professional story.
Can the St. Louis Cardinals survive stint without scorching hot Jordan Walker after latest injury update?
The St. Louis Cardinals are now tasked with remaining one of the hottest teams in baseball without one of their hottest players. Can they do it? Well, they really don’t have much of a choice. But frankly, they should be fine.
Walker, for as good as he’s been, has had some low points this season and last, for that matter. The Cardinals have had to power through his struggles and even when he was sent to the minors to get his groove back. This is nothing abnormal for the Cardinals to have to deal with. The abnormality is, he’s now out with an injury during one of his better spells.
How much will this affect the Cardinals? Probably not too much. He’s been on IL for about a week now and though the Cardinals are just 1-3 during that stretch, I think they can be fine. If nothing more, this gives John Mozeliak an idea of what he needs to do by the trade deadline to keep this team in playoff contention.
Cardinals fans have been here before with Walker. His career has been filled with peaks and valleys as he established himself as a cornerstone for St. Louis. The latest injury update is disheartening. He was just playing his best baseball all season. And now that his return is delayed, it’s another frustrating setback for him.
If he comes back just as hot as when he went to IL, Cardinals fans can breathe easy. If not, just be patient, you’ve been here before and it worked out once; it will pan out again.