John Mozeliak says hard pass on Jordan Walker with latest Cardinals call-up

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Michael Siani is expected to miss significant time with an oblique injury. When one door closes, another opens, and some redbirds fans assumed this was Jordan Walker's ticket back to the big leagues.

Walker was expected to play a vital role for the St. Louis outfield this season, but struggled out of the gate and was sent back down to Memphis to hone his craft. While Walker has done that, the Cards outfield is deep enough that John Mozeliak and Oli Marmol haven't needed him. When Marmol explained the decision to send Walker back down to the minor leagues, he didn't mince words, saying the 22-year-old had plenty to work on.

“There was a lot of discussion around it and thinking about what’s best for Jordan’s development; going down to a lower-stake environment and working on the things that he’s been working on the last several weeks made sense,” Marmol said. “I had a good conversation with him this morning, and he felt good about going down there, getting in the work and getting back to producing."

St. Louis Cardinals say hard pass on Jordan Walker

Walker is hitting .417 in the month of August, and has really found his stride of late in Memphis. What is still lacking, however, is Walker's power -- a tool the Cardinals need him to develop at the dish before he's a full-time player. Walker has just two home runs since his return to Memphis. One area Walker has improved is his eye at the plate. When he was demoted, Marmol made a point to say Walker should not expand his strike zone, and instead make pitchers throw to his strengths.

“It’s just about what he’s swinging at, compared to how he’s getting pitched and what the league is trying to do to him,” Marmol said. “He has to be able to combat that. [Getting demoted] is not something you want and not something anybody wants for him, but the situation does call for it. Getting at bats for [Iván] Herrera and [Willson] Contreras at the DH and [Alec] Burleson..."

Rather than force a fit for Walker in center, the Cardinals will call upon Victor Scott II, who at just 23 years old may have surpassed St. Louis' top prospect on the organizational depth chart. Walker is also a natural corner outfielder, so playing him in center (or moving the chess pieces around) could've complicated things for the Cardinals.

If Walker isn't ready -- which it seems as though he still has some work to do -- Mozeliak and Marmol are correct in their assessment, even if it means confusing the fanbase in the process.