Cardinals designate Tommy Pham for assignment, recall Jordan Walker ahead of series vs. Yankees

Pham appeared in 23 games with the Cardinals after being obtained at the trade deadline

By R.J. Anderson Aug 30, 2024 at 6:15 pm ET• 1 min read

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Friday six games back in the hunt for the National League's third and final wild-card spot, making it unlikely (but not impossible) that they reach the postseason. In turn, the Cardinals announced a roster move ahead of Friday's series opener against the New York Yankees with an eye on the future: designating veteran outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment and recalling outfielder Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis.

Pham, 36, only joined the Cardinals a few weeks back, in a deadline trade with the Chicago White Sox. In 23 games with St. Louis, he batted .206/.286/.368 (81 OPS+). On the year, he's hit for a 97 OPS+ overall. 

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Cardinals had placed Pham on waivers -- a mechanism that would, in theory, allow another team to add him at the cost of only assuming responsibility for his salary. Now, it's certain that Pham's second tour of duty with the Cardinals will conclude over the coming days.