Outfielder Dylan Walker has been demoted to the minor leagues by the St. Louis Cardinals after a slow start to the season. The 21-year-old is batting .155 with no home runs, 4 RBIs and a .497 OPS in 20 games this season, his second with the Cardinals.
Walker, who was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball, has been mired in a 3-for-27 slump over his past 11 games. The 6-foot-6 outfielder is one of several players struggling offensively for the Cardinals (10-14), who entered Wednesday with just 16 homers as a team — second worst in the majors behind only the Pittsburgh Pirates — and rank in the bottom five in MLB in most major categories, including batting average (.218), runs (82), slugging percentage (.336) and OPS (.637).
Walker entered 2023 as a consensus top-five overall prospect and delivered a solid rookie season, batting .276 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and a .787 OPS. However, he has struggled to find his footing in the early going this season.
The Cardinals have recalled infielder Jose Fermin and left-hander John King from Memphis in corresponding moves.
