Cardinals' Jordan Walker Battled Through Pain to Finish September
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker played through hip pain during the final weeks of the 2026 MLB season. Despite a strong breakout year, his performance declined in the final stretch due to the injury, which is now being managed with rest.
Why it matters
Understanding the physical limitations of star athletes provides necessary context for performance analysis and future roster planning.
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is over for the St. Louis Cardinals , and it surely was a special one for outfielder Jordan Walker .
The 24-year-old entered the season with all sorts of questions lingering over him. Not many were positive. He slashed .215/.278/.306 in 2025 and looked like he was trending toward being a bust. But he went into the lab last offseason and transformed his career . In 2026, he slashed .269/.327/.466 with 29 home runs, 102 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, 33 doubles and 97 runs scored in 158 games played. Walker was simply excellent. He earned his first All-Star nod and also won the Home Run Derby . It was a storybook season, but there were some question marks down the stretch. He slashed .172/.232/.287 in his final 24 games with just two home runs.
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