Aug 10, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) slides head first to score against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

St. Louis Cardinals' Oli Marmol Sends Message To Jordan Walker

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 8:00 AM ET

What will the St. Louis Cardinals do with Jordan Walker?

Is he a long-term core piece or a candidate to be traded this winter? This is a topic that has been getting talked about all year. It goes back to the Cardinals talking about the “runway” players for the organization. The Cardinals have been evaluating all season and Walker is one of the pieces they’ve clearly had a close eye on to see if he's going to be a core piece for the organization.

He’s a former No. 1 prospect for the team and is just 23 years old. There are plenty of opinions out there right now. But, what does the team think? Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol gave the clearest answer yet from the team on the young outfielder, as shared by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Cardinals sent a clear message to Jordan Walker on Tuesday

Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

“I need to see Jordan have a sense of urgency for the things that need to take place in order to give him consistent results,” Marmol said about Walker. “That goes with his move toward the ball, his preparation in the cage but also his approach in a game.

“You have to start to see progress,” the manager continued. “It think it’s important as you are evaluating the next month, you need to start to see progress and consistency...

"It’s a combination of the move he’s making and the consistency with that move in order to be consistent and what you’re swinging at. Because if you’re making the right move, your swing breaks down when it’s not in the zone. He has to be more consistent with both of those things in order to have success. Real adjustments have to be made physically and approach-wise for him to have success."

Right now, Walker is slashing .220/.274/.313 with five homers, 34 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 11 doubles, one triple, and 33 runs scored in 91 games played.

It hasn't been his year, but again, he's 23 years old. What should the Cardinals do?

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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