Cardinals OF Jordan Walker Out For At Least A Week With Knee Injury From Stepping On Sprinkler

The St. Louis Cardinals are shutting Jordan Walker down for at least a week after he suffered a left knee injury from stepping on a sprinkler.

The organization's former top prospect underwent an MRI on Tuesday that revealed no structural damage but did show irritation in the knee.

"It is what it is," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol told reporters on Wednesday. "We'll let it calm down for a week and then we'll ramp that baby back up, and we'll still have time to see him in plenty of [spring training] games."

Jordan Walker will be sidelined for at least a week after he stepped on a sprinkler head and injured his knee.

(Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

The injury happened in the bottom of the second inning during Wednesday's spring training game against the Washington Nationals at Cacti Park. While running down a routine fly ball, the outfielder stepped on a sprinkler head, awkwardly twisting his knee. He was removed from the game.

Marmol said Walker was grateful the injury wasn't more serious.

"He was perfectly fine and what you would expect it to be," Marmol said of Walker’s reaction. "He wants to be there every day, but knowing this is just some inflammation that he needs to allow to calm down so that he can get back into it, that’s obviously a positive. He was fine."

The 22-year-old is expected to be the Cardinals' starting right fielder this season. Across parts of two MLB seasons, he's batted .255/.317/.423 with 21 home runs in 168 games.

Marmol said the team expects Walker to be ready to return to action in time to play multiple spring training games before Opening Day on March 27.