Jordan

Walker

Walker hit just .116/.197/.174 with more GIDPs (three) than extra-base hits (two) or RBI (two) in his final 20 games, so maybe the hip explains that. It doesn’t appear to be anything he’ll need surgery to address.

The Cardinals tried to give Walker a chance for his 30th homer by hitting him leadoff, but he wasn’t able to do so. He did drive in his 102nd run, however, in the breakout season fantasy managers have been waiting for. There were ups and downs, but Walker’s .269/.327/.466 slash is a giant improvement over his previous campaigns, and it seems like there’s a lot more good to come.

Walker enters the final day of the season just one home run shy of 30 for the season, so the Cardinals will move him up in the order to try to maximize his chances of hitting one out. He’s having an outstanding year at the dish, slashing .271/.329/.469 with 29 homers, 101 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 663 plate appearances.

Walker has struggled in September, and he’s been just below league average as a hitter by wRC+ in the second half. A rising strikeout rate has been the issue this month, but the steal was his 20th of the year, making him a 20/20 player with 28 homers. The 24-year-old breakout star has been one of the most valuable players in fantasy this season, especially since he was available off waivers or drafted very late. He’ll be a fascinating player to analyze over the offseason, but he’s proven that his roto skill set is well-rounded.

Walker made an early exit from Friday’s game due to a lower body injury and was held out of Saturday’s contest as a precautionary measure. He’ll start in right field and bat cleanup against David Sandlin and the White Sox on Sunday afternoon in St. Louis.

It’s notable that Walker is absent from St. Louis’ lineup after making an early exit from Friday’s contest in the eighth inning with a possible lower-body issue. It’ll be top prospect Joshua Báez taking over in right field in his place. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point this weekend.

It’s the first time Walker has sat since he missed a couple of games in early August with knee inflammation. The Cardinals have Bryan Torres and Joshua Báez manning the outfield corners today against the Giants.

Walker knocked a base hit and scored a run in a five-run second inning for the Cardinals. He then took Seth Halvorsen deep for a two-run homer in the fourth to extend the St. Louis lead. Walker later added a double in the eighth for his third hit. The 24-year-old slugger is hitting .288/.345/.505 with 28 homers, 88 runs scored, 99 RBI, and 18 steals across 577 plate appearances.

Walker has now gone deep in three straight games, putting him up to 27 homers for the year. He’s moved into a tie with Sal Stewart for first place in the majors with 96 RBI. Incredibly, it looks like he’s going to exceed his total of 112 RBI from his first three seasons (279 games) combined.

The seesaw game saw the Cardinals go up 4-0 in the third, the Reds come back to take a 5-4 lead in the sixth, the Cardinals score six runs after an error in the top of the ninth and the Reds fall just short of another comeback while scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth. There were a total of 14 walks and three HBPs on the day, and both teams had more runs scored than hits (10 to 8 for the Cards, 9 to 7 for the Reds). Walker’s homer, the Cardinals’ lone extra-base hit, was his 26th of the year. He went without one for 19 games after the Home Run Derby, but he’s rebounded with four in his last 13 games.