Cardinals Fans Can Breathe Easy After Jordan Walker’s Exit

The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder is going to be just fine after a scare on Friday.

Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) heads to first base in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the St. Louis Cardinals faced the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, there was a moment that had the fanbase holding its breath.

In the sixth inning of Friday's contest, Walker grounded into a double play that ended the inning. At the time, Walker looked a bit hobbled running down the line. In the eighth inning, Walker was taken out of the game. Naturally, this made fans nervous. But don't be. Everything is going to be alright. After the game, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol shared that Walker rolled his ankle but was okay to the point that he wanted to stay in the game. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat shared the update.

"Marmol said he rolled his ankle on the bag, wanted to stay in the game. Didn’t seem concerned," Jones wrote on X.

Jordan Walker Is Going To Be Just Fine

Sep 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (18) celebrates after hitting a two run home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Walker leaving early on Friday, this is about as positive an update you could've hoped for as a Cardinals fan. Injuries have been piling up for the Cardinals recently, to say the least. Right now, the Cardinals are missing JJ Wetherholt, Hunter Dobbins, Blaze Jordan and Everson Pereira, among others. While the Cardinals don't look like they're poised to make a run at a playoff spot, it still would've been a tough blow to lose the club's biggest feel-good story with the season winding down.

Walker went 2-for-4 on Friday night with two runs scored and is now slashing .283/.338/.491 with an .829 OPS, 28 homers, 100 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, 33 doubles and 92 runs scored.

When the 2026 season began, it was known that the goal was going to be development. There isn't a better example than Walker. Before the 2026 season, he hadn't finished a campaign with a positive WAR. Last year, he was a -1.7 WAR player. That's hard to do. This season, he's up to 3.7 wins above replacement and climbing.

It would be great if the Cardinals were heading to the playoffs. Unfortunately, that's just not likely. But watching Walker chase 30 homers and also the first 20-20 season of his career is something positive for fans to follow before the long offseason. Walker needs just one more stolen base for a 20-20 season. With two more homers, he'll have a 30-20 season on his hands.

Fortunately, the chase is still on and it sounds like Walker is going to be just fine.