JUPITER, Fla. -- Three days after getting a scare that Jordan Walker might have sustained a serious knee injury, the Cardinals were greeted with some positive progress regarding the 6-foot-6 outfielder.
Walker, who jammed his left knee on Tuesday when he stepped on a sprinkler head while tracking a fly ball in right field, was back in uniform on Friday after reporting a decrease in his pain. Walker did some throwing and took practice swings with teammates prior to the Cardinals hosting the Astros in their first night game of Spring Training.
Walker underwent an MRI on Tuesday night that revealed irritation -- but no structural damage -- in his knee. The Cardinals planned to keep Walker out of games and baseball activities for at least a week, but they softened that stance on Friday when the outfielder reported feeling significantly less pain in his knee.
¡°He¡¯s feeling really good today,¡± Cardinals¡¯ manager Oliver Marmol said. ¡°He did treatment, [took] some dry swings, he¡¯s playing catch and he¡¯s feeling good about where he¡¯s at today. His progress has been a little ahead of what I expected, and we¡¯re super encouraged by it.¡±
Much of the Cardinals¡¯ shift in focus to their young core in 2025 has centered around providing consistent playing time and at bats for 24-yeaar-old slugger Nolan Gorman and the 22-year-old Walker, St. Louis' former top prospect who has struggled in his two MLB seasons. Walker is projected to be the Cardinals' Opening Day starter in right field for a third straight season, but he hopes to avoid the Triple-A demotions that have slowed him the past two years.
Walker entered Spring Training with renewed enthusiasm about his swing after spending much of the offseason working with new hitting coach Brant Brown. Though Walker hasn¡¯t found much tangible success -- he is 2 for 14 with a double, two RBI and eight strikeouts -- the Cardinals have been encouraged by the loft on his swing and with how hard Walker has hit numerous balls.
Walker¡¯s return to full baseball activities could come earlier than next week, according to Marmol, if Walker's knee continues to improve more rapidly.
¡°I almost want to say ¡®day to day¡¯ based on the way he¡¯s feeling, but we know we want to not rush anything because there¡¯s no reason to,¡± Marmol said. ¡°We want to make sure he¡¯s feeling 100 percent before we progress. But today he was feeling really good and we¡¯re encouraged by it.¡±