Why the Cardinals optioned Jordan Walker and released Brandon Crawford (2024)

ST. LOUIS — One look at the standings will tell you the state of the St. Louis Cardinals is grim. Ahead of their most critical series of the season — three home games against the Milwaukee Brewers — the Cardinals are 11 games back in the division and five games back in the National League wild-card race, behind both the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants for the final spot.

But if you needed further proof of the organization’s disarray, the Cardinals’ roster moves before Tuesday’s game should do the trick. A week after recalling outfielder Jordan Walker, the Cardinals optioned him back to Triple-A Memphis and activated Matt Carpenter (lower back) off the injured list. St. Louis also released Brandon Crawford to clear the way for Luken Baker, who was recalled from Memphis.

“There are a lot of demands on our roster,” president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “We are going to see some changes over the course of the next few weeks, and we also wanted to have the ability to start to take a look at some players this season, so that was part of the (Crawford) move.

“With Walker, he was swinging the bat really well (in Memphis) and we definitely wanted to take a look at what he was doing and where he’s at, but as you look at what we’re facing over the next week and a half, he just wasn’t going to get much playing time.”

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/orkQ00sGMN

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 20, 2024

With their season on the line, the Cardinals hope shaking up the roster will spark some momentum. A series loss to the Brewers would all but mathematically end their division hopes, and their path to a wild-card berth isn’t much better.

Still, Tuesday’s roster decisions require some interpretation. Here are the explanations behind Walker’s demotion, Crawford’s release and Baker’s call-up.

Why was Walker recalled just to be optioned one week later?

When the Cardinals called up Walker, 22, last Monday, manager Oli Marmol was quick to explain the team’s plan to use Walker as a platoon option against left-handed hitters. The problem? That decision directly contradicted the organization’s consistent messaging on Walker’s development. For the past two seasons, the Cardinals have prioritized constant playing time and emphasis on player development over utilizing Walker in a part-time role in the majors.

What changed? The Cardinals’ position in the standings at this time of year has forced the team to utilize any remaining option on their 40-man roster. When Carpenter was placed on the IL, the Cardinals knew it would be for the minimum amount of time. They were slated to face three left-handed starting pitchers over seven days, and their abysmal season-long production against left-handers underscored the need for a right-handed bat. Those options were Walker, Baker and José Fermín.

Fermín can play around the diamond, but the Cardinals weren’t looking for defensive versatility. They were looking for power and production. Baker’s 32 home runs at Memphis made him a logical choice, but St. Louis preferred to call up an outfielder to help with overall lineup flexibility, as they wanted to platoon the outfield. The Cardinals have carded a left-handed heavy lineup all season, and replacing one of those left-handed outfielders with a right-handed one would make for the easiest platoon fit. That left Walker, who had caught fire over the previuos two weeks, going 15-for-43 with three doubles and three home runs.

The decision to platoon Walker never fully made sense. Neither did the decision to call him up for such a short time, especially based on the club’s mantra regarding consistent playing time. But as Marmol explained, the amount of ground the Cardinals must make up in the standings means every game left matters. Three games would not deter Walker’s long-term development, but three games could make or break the team’s postseason chances.

“Your 40-man roster is there to help your 26-man roster,” Marmol said. “That’s the reason for the 40-man. If there’s an opportunity where you think one of those players who are on the 40-man can help the 26-man, even if it’s for three days, that’s important.”

The calendar played a major role in the Walker decision. If the need for a right-handed bat came up in May or June, the Cardinals would not have considered Walker, once again citing the need for his development. But given their dwindling playoff chances, the Cardinals went with their best available option on the 40-man. Of course, that St. Louis is forced to make these types of dire decisions in mid-August, and is choosing to implement such a drastic platoon, is a product of its own doing.

“When you have a 26-man roster and you’re trying to maximize three games against lefties, and you know that you’re already in the middle of August and you know your performance against that handedness hasn’t been very good, then you take the option that can also play the same position of the one you’re trying to replace for three games, so you don’t go home early,” Marmol said.

Walker started all three games against lefties but didn’t produce. He went 1-for-11 with three strikeouts and a walk.

Platooning Walker was not something that Mozeliak and Marmol disagreed on, but only because they would be implementing it for such a short time. Both Marmol and Mozeliak believe that young players should be playing every day, especially those as promising as Walker. That’s why when the new week started with the Cardinals in line to face right-handed starters for eight of their next 10 games, Mozeliak decided to send Walker back to Memphis. Walker would not be starting against any righty and would be relegated as a bench bat. That role was better suited for Baker because of his aforementioned defensive limitations. Walker would go back to Memphis, where he would resume playing every day.

“At the time, (calling up Walker) was just trying to quickly fill a void,” Mozeliak said. “You know my philosophy has always been if you’re a young player, you need to be playing. I always cringe at the idea of someone who’s 22 years old sitting on the bench.”

Ultimately, calling up Walker for one week can be attributed to having no other reasonable option remaining on the 40-man roster. That’s a problem in itself.

How will the Cardinals use Baker?

Baker, 27, has been one of the best power hitters in the Triple-A circuit, slugging .535 with an .880 OPS. He’ll rarely start but brings value as a right-handed bat off the bench.

St. Louis will continue platooning, with both Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman in Tuesday’s lineup against right-hander Frankie Montas despite their slumping averages. The Cardinals don’t share the same sentiment regarding consistent playing time with Baker as they do with Walker. They are agreeable to preserving Baker and using him in a pinch-hit role when opponents bring in a lefty reliever, as they see that as Baker’s highest value.

Bringing jacks to Jacksonville 🏖️

Luken Baker (@Cardinals) pummels his 32nd homer of the season, boosting his Triple-A lead for the @memphisredbirds. pic.twitter.com/6VmJooFQAh

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 17, 2024

Why Baker wasn’t called up instead of Walker to begin with? It comes down to his ability to only play first base or serve as a team’s designated hitter. The team is not benching or platooning Paul Goldschmidt, season struggles aside. The Cardinals have their preferred designated hitters as well — Alec Burleson against right-handers and Willson Contreras against left-handers. With a slew of righties on the docket, St. Louis can keep Baker on the bench and deploy him in late-game scenarios when needed.

How does releasing Crawford impact the 40-man roster?

The Cardinals granted Crawford an unconditional release to increase 40-man roster flexibility. They will need an open spot for Steven Matz, who is slated to throw his potential final rehab start on Wednesday. If cleared, Matz will be activated from the 60-day IL as early as next week, meaning both a 26-man and 40-man roster move will be needed. It’s unclear what the corresponding active roster move could be, but the Cardinals have kicked around keeping Andre Pallante as a starter and implementing a six-man rotation.

“Obviously, (Matz) is getting really close, and at some point, we’d like to see Riley O’Brien as well,” Mozeliak said. “There are some decisions that have to be made, but hopefully it’s because guys are performing well.”

Crawford, 37, batted .169 with a .544 OPS in 80 plate appearances. Still, the decision to move on from Crawford was not a popular one. Both Mozeliak and Marmol spoke at length about the difficult decision, and the move didn’t sit well with the clubhouse.

“It was a tough one,” Marmol said. “I have an incredible amount of respect for Crawford, for his career, what he did away from here, but also what he brought to the table while he was here. I know many may look at it and say he wasn’t on the field a whole lot, his average was this, his OPS was that, but you’re missing a big part of what makes a team a team. His steadiness and overall mentality and the way he goes about his business brought a ton.”

The Cardinals will be without a true backup shortstop, though Brendan Donovan can slot in behind Masyn Winn in an emergency. One could also speculate about seeing infield prospect Thomas Saggesse at some point this season, though he would require a 40-man move.

Tuesday’s moves are perplexing, even with the explanations provided by Mozeliak and Marmol. But they have made one thing clear: St. Louis is in trouble. It’s willing to try anything to stop its spiral and attempt to claw back into contention.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s simply the state of where the Cardinals are right now.

(Photo of Brandon Crawford from Aug. 10: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)

Katie Woo is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the St. Louis Cardinals and Major League Baseball. Prior to joining The Athletic, Katie spent two years covering the minor leagues as an editorial producer for MiLB.com and spent the 2018 MLB season covering the San Diego Padres as an associate reporter for MLB.com. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and originates from Northern California. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiejwoo