The St. Louis Cardinals were forced to make a late lineup change before Tuesday night’s matchup against the New York Yankees, scratching All-Star right fielder Jordan Walker because of right knee inflammation.
Walker was originally scheduled to bat second but was removed from the lineup about an hour before first pitch. Nelson Velázquez took over in right field, while designated hitter Iván Herrera moved up to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. The absence marked just Walker’s third missed game of the season.
The timing of the scratch came during what has been a breakout campaign for the 24-year-old. Walker is batting .285 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs, establishing himself as one of the Cardinals’ biggest offensive threats. Last month, he added another milestone by winning the All-Star Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, defeating Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber in the final round.
Selected by St. Louis with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Walker made his major league debut in 2023 and hit .276 across 117 games during his rookie season. He then endured two difficult seasons, batting just .211 combined before breaking out in 2026. He entered the All-Star break hitting .294 with 22 home runs and 74 RBIs, though he has batted .240 over 18 games since the break.
Walker also continues to build on an impressive career résumé, owning a .254 batting average with 49 home runs and 193 RBIs in 390 career games since reaching the majors in 2023.
Following the Cardinals’ 2-0 loss to the Yankees, manager Oliver Marmol said the club remains optimistic that Walker’s absence will be brief.
“I’ll find out more when he comes in tomorrow, but just knee inflammation, day-to-day,” Marmol said. “Our hope is that he’s good to go tomorrow, but we’ll see what it looks like.”
