ST. LOUIS -- Hoping to finally get a run of good luck with his health and potentially regain his stroke at the plate, Jordan Walker’s best intentions were undone again by a sharp pain in his side.
Walker, 23, was taken to the hospital before the Cardinals’ game against the Cubs on Tuesday, and he was determined to be suffering from appendicitis. Because the condition was determined before the appendix ruptured, Walker was able to avoid surgery, and his condition was treated with antibiotics.
Still, Walker was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, retroactive to Monday. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that the right fielder is already feeling much better and should be able to return to game action by the expiration of his IL stint.
“Pretty quick recovery, but he’s still going to be down for four or five days,” said Marmol, whose Cardinals beat the Cubs on Tuesday while playing without two rostered players [Garrett Hampson and Walker]. “It made sense to rest it and then build up again. It’s not going to be an extended period [that Walker is forced to miss].”
Promised playing time this season as the Cardinals planned to keep their focus on building for the future, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Walker has mostly struggled at the plate in his third MLB season. In 55 games this season, Walker has slashed .210/.267/.295 with three homers, four doubles, a triple and 23 RBIs. Despite extensive work with new hitting coach Brant Brown, Walker has struck out 63 times compared to walking just 12 times.
Just when Walker seemed to find his rhythm at the plate, going 7-for-19 with two extra-base hits and six RBIs over a five-game stretch in late May, he was forced to miss two weeks with inflammation in his left wrist. Since then, Walker has gone just 3-for-18 with six strikeouts, and he’s been passed in the playing rotation by Alec Burleson. Burleson hit a two-run homer on Monday in the Cardinals’ 8-2 win over the Cubs, and he had two run-saving catches on Tuesday in another victory.
Marmol said the Cardinals feel fortunate that Walker’s medical issue happened while he was surrounded by medical staff and the problem was caught early.
“He came in, he was about to hit BP and felt a little something in his side, and it kind of lingered and started to get a little worse,” Marmol recalled. “He went in to see the training staff and the doctor, and they did some quick movement stuff on him because they wanted to rule out his appendix. They sent him to get some imaging, and it came back with early signs of [appendicitis].
“They felt like holding him overnight [at the hospital] was important to make sure they could access antibiotics and treatment over having to go in and get it [surgically]. That‘s the route that was taken. It’s helpful that it was caught early and that he got it checked out immediately after feeling it. I spoke to him this morning, and he’s in a better spot.”