Walker looks to boost struggling Cards as he returns from IL

MILWAUKEE -- Their outfield in need of a jolt as they struggle through their worst stretch of the season, the Cardinals brought Jordan Walker back from his Minor League rehab assignment after just two games and inserted him into their starting lineup on Saturday against the Brewers.

Walker, who hasn’t played since May 28 because of irritation in his left wrist, was activated off the 10-day injured list and recalled from his rehab assignment on Saturday morning so that he could make the trip from Atlanta to Milwaukee and play in Saturday’s game. Walker went 3-for-8 with three RBIs with Triple-A Memphis in Friday’s doubleheader against Gwinnett.

Upon his return, Walker was slotted in at No. 7 in the lineup and in his usual starting spot in right field. He went 1-for-3 with a single, walk and run scored in St. Louis' 8-5 win.

“We just wanted to make sure he tested it out and he didn’t need a lengthy kind of rehab,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “It was just a matter of taking some swings, feeling good about it and getting him back, which was our play the whole way.”

The Cardinals are also hopeful that standout utility player Brendan Donovan could return to their starting lineup by Sunday. Donovan, who is third in the National League with 20 doubles, fourth in batting average (.310) and tied for sixth in hits (77), hasn’t played since Tuesday because of a joint capsule sprain in his left big toe. Donovan took batting practice and ground balls on Saturday while wearing a carbon-fiber plate in his left shoe to lessen the load on his toe. He reported coming through Saturday's activity pain-free and expects to be in the lineup on Sunday.

Walker’s return allowed the Cardinals to remove struggling leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar from Saturday’s lineup before facing Brewers left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana. Nootbaar struck out four times in five at-bats on Friday in a 3-2 loss to the Brewers, dropping him into a 1-for-32 funk with 17 strikeouts since June 5. Marmol said the Cardinals hope to rest Nootbaar on Saturday and Sunday and then return him to the lineup on Tuesday when they face the White Sox in Chicago.

“He needs a breather, and I’m going to give it to him. Ideally, it’s like a just-meet-us-in-Chicago type of thing,” Marmol said of Nootbaar. “Let’s get him back on track and he will find his way out of this.”

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Walker injured his wrist just as he was seeming to find his stride offensively. In the five games prior to going on the injured list, Walker went 7-for-19 with six RBIs. That stretch raised his batting average to .215 with three home runs and 23 RBIs.