Pretty much nothing went right for the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason. Not only did the team fail to add any talent that might help it get back to the playoffs for the first time in three years, but it also failed to find trades for expensive veterans in order to free up playing time for young talent and financial flexibility for the future. Without taking a step forward in either the short term or the long term, it seemed like St. Louis had resigned itself to simply running in place in the final year of president John Mozeliak's reign.
If there was a silver lining to all this stagnancy, it was that the Cardinals at least would get to use the 2025 season to get a look at some potential future building blocks — the players worth building around as Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Co. gave way to the next competitive era of St. Louis baseball. First on the list was outfielder Jordan Walker, a former all-world prospect looking to turn his career around after a tough 2024. Walker struggled mightily at the plate last year, but he seemed to be connecting to new Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown; if he managed to make the leap, that would make 2025 a success no matter what the team's record said.
Which is why Tuesday's spring training game was such a brutal development, as Walker was forced to leave after just one at-bat due to what the team is calling left knee pain. It's hard to know the exact nature of the injury, as Walker appeared to hurt himself fielding a routine fly ball in right field.
Here is footage of the second-inning play where #STLCards RF Jordan Walker is believed to have experienced pain in his left knee while tracking a fly ball. Walker was removed from the game because of that pain and will undergo further evaluation, per the club. pic.twitter.com/2IqhwRvVig
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 4, 2025
There's a chance that this is much ado about nothing, a team being overly cautious with a young player in a meaningless game. Of course, there's also a chance that it's much ado about something, and that Walker will be forced to miss at least some time. With Opening Day now less than a month away, any significant injury will almost certainly bleed into the regular season, forcing St. Louis to ponder its lineup without one of its biggest bats.
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Projected Cardinals Opening Day lineup if Jordan Walker starts the season in the IL
The good news is that the Cardinals do have a glut of position-player options at or near the MLB level, meaning that there are options to fill in should Walker have to miss time. Here's how the team would likely line up.
Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Lars Nootbaar | RF |
2 | Masyn Winn | SS |
3 | Alec Burleson | DH |
4 | Willson Contreras | 1B |
5 | Brendan Donovan | LF |
6 | Nolan Arenado | 3B |
7 | Nolan Gorman | 2B |
8 | Ivan Herrera | C |
9 | Michael Siani | CF |
Nootbaar can easily slide over to right field, with either Siani or Victor Scott II manning center field. We'll go with Siani here, as his defense seems to have earned a bit more trust from manager Oli Marmol at this point. Donovan seems locked in to playing left field at this point, giving Gorman a path to everyday playing time at second base while Arenado is still around blocking third. Against lefties, Nootbaar or Burleson could sit, giving way to Herrera or Luken Baker at DH with Pedro Pages at catcher and
None of which are disastrous options; as was true last year, it's not like St. Louis is bereft of talent. It's just missing true impact talent, a star around whom everyone else can orbit. Walker still represents the team's best chance of developing that star, and missing time and valuable reps could hinder his development even further.