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What has been a relatively healthy spring so far for the St. Louis Cardinals nearly veered off the rails in a significant way Tuesday when outfielder Jordan Walker left the team’s Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals prematurely.
In the bottom of the second inning of the game at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, Walker tracked down a fly ball in right field for out number two—but his cleat jammed on a sprinkler head that was buried like a landmine in the outfield grass.
The Cardinals initially labeled Walker’s exit as being related to “left knee pain” and he was scheduled for further evaluation upon the club’s return to Jupiter.
Here is footage of the second-inning play where #STLCards RF Jordan Walker is believed to have experienced pain in his left knee while tracking a fly ball. Walker was removed from the game because of that pain and will undergo further evaluation, per the club. pic.twitter.com/2IqhwRvVig
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 4, 2025
After the 22-year-old right fielder underwent an MRI on Tuesday evening, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol gave the update Wednesday—allowing for a sigh of relief regarding the health of the 2025 breakout candidate.
Giving an update as close to an ‘all-clear’ as the team could have hoped for from this situation, Marmol shared with assembled media members that there was no structural damage found in the imaging on Walker’s knee.
#STLCards RF Jordan Walker has no structural damage in his left knee and will be shut down for a week to try and let the inflammation above the knee calm down, per manager Oli Marmol. Walker had an MRI on Tuesday night after jamming his knee upon stepping on a sprinkler head.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 5, 2025
While the Cardinals intend to handle his coming days cautiously—Marmol described that the team would keep Walker off his normal schedule of baseball activities for about a week to allow the inflammation to subside—it seems clear that St. Louis avoided the worst-case scenario.
The fallout from his meeting with the rogue sprinkler head will keep Walker out of action for the immediate future, but this event unfolding as early in March as it did should leave enough time for the former first-round draft pick to return to baseball activities in time to ramp up ahead of Opening Day.
The Cardinals begin the regular season hosting the Twins at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 27.