The St. Louis Cardinals made a slightly surprising roster move Wednesday, optioning rookie Jordan Walker to Triple-A after a good start to his MLB career.
Walker tied Eddie Murphy for the longest hitting streak by a rookie 20 years old or younger earlier in the season. His streak lasted 12 games and matched a record that was previously set in 1912.
Since then, Walker has cooled off, and he's struggled to acclimate to his position in the outfield. A third baseman by trade, that position is obviously reserved for veteran star Nolan Arenado, so Walker has been learning the ropes in the outfield.
FAGAN: List of MLB managers on the hot seat looks different now than before Opening Day
That made him part of an outfield logjam of sorts for the Cardinals, who still have four outfielders on their roster even with Walker being sent down. Tyler O'Neill was heavily rumored to be a trade option prior to this season, and the other Cardinals outfielders include Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and Dylan Carlson.
Why was Jordan Walker sent to Triple-A?
Walker has hit the ball well this year, barreling the ball up with relative frequency amid a slow Cardinals start. However, it wasn't enough to keep him on the roster as he has endured some defensive struggles. Taylor Motter was brought in to replace him after clearing waivers.
Teams sending players down to "work on their defense" is nothing new, and it's often met by cynical side-eyes from baseball fans.
In Walker's case, however, he's been below replacement level in the outfield, second-worst in MLB by runs saved so far this year at -5, per Fielding Bible.
With a bevy of defensive talent in the outfield already, allowing Walker to play in Memphis and regain his bearings makes some sense.
He also will be getting help at the plate, as his launch angle is currently 2.7 degrees, the lowest among qualified Cardinal batters. St. Louis is hoping to get some lift to match his already-solid exit velocities.
MORE: Why New Era forced Braves to nix Big Hat home run celebration
With that being said, if Walker isn't called up within three weeks, he would be ineligible to net the Cardinals a reward from the Prospect Promotion Incentive. So, his stay in Memphis may not ultimately be a long one.
NL Rookie of the Year odds
Despite Walker's strong start, some struggles since have hurt his Rookie of the Year odds this year. Walker entered the season tied with Corbin Carroll at +400, per BetMGM, but the emergence of James Outman for the Dodgers — who had slashed .316/.400/.709 with seven homers entering play on Wednesday — has scuttled those numbers.
Walker is now hitting .274/.321/.397 and hitting the ball hard. As of Wednesday, he had the third-best Rookie of the Year odds behind Outman and Carroll, per BetMGM.
| Player | Odds |
| James Outman | +180 |
| Corbin Carroll | +300 |
| Jordan Walker | +650 |
| Kodai Senga | +1000 |
| Brett Baty | +1400 |
Ultimately, this doesn't bury Walker's chances. The Cardinals would love to reap the benefits of the PPI, but it has to figure out its outfield situation first. The Cardinals have not lived up to expectations thus far, and although it isn't Walker's fault, it's clear they have to try something different to turn things around.
