A few words about the Jordan Walker demotion

It's okay. Standard rookie practice.

The St. Louis Cardinals had two choices: start him less at the big league level, or let him continue to mature with everyday at-bats down in Memphis.

The suits chose wisely. After not starting in three of the past four games, Jordan Walker will wear a Memphis Redbirds jersey tonight. Taylor Motter is back. The out-of-nowhere spring training sensation was bound to return, and he’s on much more borrowed time than Walker.

If Motter, who 98% of Cardinal Nation could have mistaken for their plumber in October, doesn’t crack it up here, the book closes and people forget him twice as fast. If Walker continues to strike out at a high rate and doesn’t see consistent playing time, the ship isn’t being driven correctly. While it can appear curious-especially since Walker had a hit in each of his last two starts-the practice is standard.

The rookie hit a wall of sorts, and can be sent down. 73 at-bats in, the slugging percentage is down and the strikeouts are up. Walker has whiffed 20 times early on, and most of them aren’t pretty. He got a whiff of the Majors, and will use the time at Triple-A to get ready for round two. Judging by the musical chair aspect of the outfield, that could be soon.

It’s not like the team is thriving and on a winning streak. A shakeup was in order, and this is most likely just the first move. The vibe of the team is off, and the performances are unkempt at best. The offense could slug eight across the plate, or get shut out. The pitching has been troublesome at best. The season is young, but the roster is going to be in flux all year long.

The Cardinals have an infield that could be etched in stone, and the designated hitter role all but solidified. It’s the outfield that is all over the place. Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbaar, Motter, and Walker all have outfield reps and starts. What was once close to stone-Harrison Bader, Carlson, and O’Neill-has turned erratic. Expect Marmol to make changes throughout the next few months.

Walker will be back. He was struggling over his last seven/15 game sets, and was bound to be demoted. Motter’s train is going one way in a sense. This team needs a spark plug in the worst way.