Cardinals star Jordan Walker sustains bizarre injury during spring training game

 

A knee injury will keep St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker off the baseball diamond the next several days. 

The 22-year-old appeared to sustain the injury after he stepped on a sprinkler head as he chased a fly ball during a spring training game Tuesday. 

The Cardinals defeated the Washington Nationals in Tuesday’s exhibition in Palm Beach, Florida.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

An MRI later confirmed Walker avoided any structural damage to his knee. However, there were some signs of irritation.

ROKI SASAKI PITCHES THREE SCORELESS INNINGS IN SPRING DEBUT WITH DODGERS

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said the team would take a cautious approach to Walker’s knee over the next week.

“It is what it is,” Marmol told reporters Wednesday. “We’ll let it calm down for a week, and then we’ll ramp that baby back up. And we’ll still have time to see him in plenty of [spring training] games.”

Walker is expected to be ready for opening day next month. Walker made some changes to his swing this offseason and is projected to start in right field once the regular season begins.

Walker has 21 career home runs and 71 RBIs in 168 games. The right-handed batter also has a .255 career batting average.

The Cardinals finished last season with an 83–79 record but did not advance to the playoffs.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Marmol oversaw a 12-game improvement from the 2023 season. St. Louis has not qualified for the MLB postseason since the franchise won the 2022 NL Central division title.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.