The Cardinals announced that they have recalled outfielder from Triple-A Memphis, with fellow outfielder designated for a signment in a corresponding move. It was yesterday that Pham had been placed on waivers, though without being removed from the roster. It seems the Cards are committed to moving on regardle s of whether Pham is claimed off waivers or not. Teams can place a player on waivers even while they are still on the roster and participating in games. We have seen this happen this year with players like back when he was with the Blue Jays, as well as guys like of the Pirates, of the Cubs, of the Rangers and Kartik Akkihal Jersey others. The Cards could have waited to see if Pham was claimed and then continued to play him if he pa sed through, but that wont be the case now. Pham could still be claimed off waivers by tomorrow and would be postseason-eligible with his new club. But if he goes unclaimed, he will almost certainly end up a free agent. He has more than enough time to reject an outright a signment and elect free agency, so the Cards would probably just release him in that scenario. Little by little, the Cards are signaling that they are moving on from 2024 and turning their attentions towards the future. Prior to last months trade deadline, they acted as buyers, grabbing Pham, and to bolster the roster for the stretch run. But they have gone 11-15 here in August, dropping them back in the crowded National League Wild Card race. They are currently six games out and would have to pa s three different clubs to get in, while also holding off the Giants, who are just half a game behind the Cards. The at FanGraphs give them just a 1.8% chance of getting in while the at Baseball Prospectus have them at 1.9%. Armstrong was designated for a signment earlier this week and is still in DFA limbo, with Pham now joining him there, so the Cards have quickly cut ties with two of their three deadline acquisitions. Fedde is still under contract for next year but Armstrong and Pham were rentals, so the club has little use for them as they have seemingly accepted that their chances in 2024 are low. They will instead give Walker another crack at major league pitching. He has been up and down since the start of the 2023 season, showing occasional glimpses of his talents but also enduring periods of significant struggles. He hit .276/.342/.445 last year for a 115 wRC+ but his line is just .145/.228/.232 this season, wRC+ of 31. Hes spent most of his time at Triple-A this year, where the numbers have been better but not overwhelming. He has a .263/.326/.427 batting line for Memphis in 2024, which translates to a wRC+ of 94 in the strong offensive environment in the International League this year. Though he hasnt exactly been kicking the door down, the Cards have some motivation to get him regular run in the big leagues. Since they have been sending him back and forth between Memphis and St. Louis both last year and this year, hes only going to have one option year remaining at the end of this season. Hes still just 22 years old and has lots of time to break out as a bonafide major leaguer, but his option status provides a little bit of a narrowing window. During the offseason, the club could perhaps pursue offensive upgrades to try to compete in 2025. That could potentially make for a roster crunch that leads to Walker getting optioned again next year. For now, with the club outside contention, they have creating some breathing room for Walker to presumably get some significant playing time as the season winds down. Ideally, he can take some notable steps forward and solidify himself as part of the future, though hell be in an outfield mix that also includes , , , , and others. Travis Shaw Jersey