The St. Louis Cardinals entered Friday six games back in the hunt for the National League’s third and final wild-card spot, making it unlikely (but not impossible) that they reach the postseason. In turn, the Cardinals announced a roster move ahead of Friday’s series opener against the New York Yankees with an eye on the future: designating veteran outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment and recalling outfielder Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis.
Pham, 36, only joined the Cardinals a few weeks back, in a deadline trade with the Chicago White Sox. In 23 games with St. Louis, he batted .206/.286/.368 (81 OPS+). On the year, he’s hit for a 97 OPS+ overall.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Cardinals had placed Pham on waivers — a mechanism that would, in theory, allow another team to add him at the cost of only assuming responsibility for his salary. Now, it’s certain that Pham’s second tour of duty with the Cardinals will conclude over the coming days.
It’s worth noting that Pham is the second member of the Cardinals’ deadline haul to be designated for assignment this week. St. Louis has since lost reliever Shawn Armstrong, acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Dylan Carlson, in a waiver claim by the Chicago Cubs.
As for Walker, 22, he’ll be making another return to the majors following a brief stay in the minors. He’s yet to build upon a rookie campaign that saw him hit .276/.342/.445 (113 OPS+) with 16 home runs and seven stolen bases. This will be Walker’s third stint in the majors this year. When he was demoted on August 20, Cardinals executive John Mozeliak explained the thought process behind that particular transaction as such: “My philosophy is [and] has always been if you’re a young player, you need to play. I always cringe at the idea of someone who’s 22 years old sitting on the bench.”
With Pham gone and Walker back, it seems fair to assume Walker will be getting plenty of opportunities between now and season’s end to regain his old shine.
