The St. Louis Cardinals optioned top prospect Jordan Walker to Triple-A and signed infielder Taylor Motter to a major-league contract, the club announced Wednesday.
Walker made the Opening Day roster after a torrid performance during spring training. He hit the ground running, tying Eddie Murphy of the 1912 Philadelphia Athletics with a 12-game hitting streak, the longest for a rookie under the age of 21 since 1900.
However, after Walker's batting average climbed to .355 on April 8, it tumbled down to .274, and he hasn't hit a home run since that date. The 20-year-old has registered a .718 OPS with five extra-base hits and 11 RBIs over 73 at-bats.
Motter cleared waivers after he was designated for assignment last weekend to make room for shortstop Paul DeJong on the roster. The 33-year-old Motter has appeared in seven games for the Cardinals this season, posting a .633 OPS in 18 at-bats.
St. Louis owns a 9-15 record and entered play Wednesday seven games back of the NL Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates.
