(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals may appear to be well out of postseason contention at the moment, but they may have just gotten a little bit stronger.
On Monday, they activated star outfielder Lars Nootbaar from the injured list.
Nootbaar provides elite speed and defense in right field, which is something the Cardinals appeared to be lacking when he was out with his back injury.
With Nootbaar back in the lineup and Tommy Edman doing well in center field, the team chose to use Jordan Walker as the designated hitter in Monday’s series opener with the Washington Nationals.
On Tuesday, Katie Woo of The Athletic discussed the plan for Walker now that Nootbaar is back.
The #STLCards are hoping to improve their outfield defense w/ Lars Nootbaar back in the lineup. Our Cardinals insider @katiejwoo joined #BKandFerrario to discuss yesterday what it means for Jordan Walker’s short & long-term development.
PODCAST: https://t.co/dSkM1zEUtQ pic.twitter.com/Oree8LWP5M
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) June 20, 2023
Walker had been taking reps in the outfield.
His defense in the outfield has still yet to come around, but his bat is currently hot as he rides a 12-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s game against the Nats.
Woo noted that the metrics for outfield defense were very poor over the last month with Nootbaar out and that the Cardinals needed to prioritize that in order to start winning games again.
And so, Walker is more than likely going to serve as the designated hitter for some time.
Woo notes that it’s important for the Cardinals to have strong outfield defense with their pitch-to-contact staff and that having Nootbaar back and using Walker as a DH gives them a chance to put their best defensive lineup out on the field.
This also gives them a chance to keep Walker’s bat in the lineup.
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