Cardinals Make Season-Ending Move With 7 Games Left

John Hefti-Imagn Images

Cardinals Make Season-Ending Move With 7 Games Left

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Miracle Dimwesh | Last updated Sep 20, 2026 11:00 AM ET

Blaze Jordan’s rookie season is officially over after the St. Louis Cardinals decided not to bring him back from his high ankle sprain with seven games remaining.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol announced the decision Saturday, with Jeff Jones of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting the update on X. Jordan has been working his way back from the injury but was not ready to return to the field.

The Cardinals ultimately decided there was not enough time left in the season to push Jordan back into action.

Blaze Jordan’s season is over, Marmol said this afternoon. Cardinals weren’t comfortable enough with his recovery from a high ankle sprain to push him back on the field and the clock ran out.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) September 19, 2026

Jordan made his MLB debut June 12 and appeared in 58 games during his rookie season, making 51 starts. He finished with a .247 batting average, .276 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage.

The 23-year-old recorded 46 hits, eight doubles, four triples, three home runs and 28 RBI. He also finished the season with 0.4 WAR.

Jordan suffered the high ankle sprain in late August while tracking a ball near the corner. He was initially placed on the 10-day injured list with the possibility of returning before the end of the regular season.

That return never materialized, and the Cardinals will now have to finish the season without one of their young corner infielders.

Sep 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesKirby Lee-Imagn Images

The decision came after St. Louis suffered an 8-5 loss to the Washington Nationals in 11 innings Saturday. The Cardinals collected 14 hits but committed three errors in the extra-inning defeat.

Washington broke the tie with four runs in the top of the 11th after a successful replay challenge resulted in a catcher interference call. The Cardinals could not answer in the bottom half.

St. Louis entered Sunday at 75-80 and fourth in the NL Central, with Milwaukee having already clinched the division. With Jordan’s season now over, the Cardinals can use their final seven games to evaluate other options before turning their attention to the offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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