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And that will be by design.

Hours after a three-hit, three-RBI evening with Class AAA Memphis in Gwinnett, Georgia, Walker returned from his rehab assignment to the majors and a starting spot in right field for the Cardinals. The roster move to bring Walker back from the injured list was part of the Cardinals’ plan to buy another day before Brendan Donovan’s expected return Sunday and steal a few days off for struggling leadoff hitter Lars Nootbaar. Manager Oliver Marmol said his preference is to go without using Nootbaar until Tuesday, when the Cardinals open a series on the south side of Chicago.

“Just meet-us-in-Chicago-type thing,� Marmol said. “Take a breather and let’s get back on track. He’ll find his way out of this.�

Nootbaar had never struck out more than three times in a big-league game before this season, and Friday night’s four-K evening was his second in the past week.

He’s hitless during the Cardinals’ six-game losing streak, and his struggles add to the lineup’s overall malaise in the past week. The dip in production coincides with Donovan’s absence due to turf toe on his left foot, which has sidelined him and his team-high hits and doubles. And the downturn began shortly after Walker’s move to the 10-day IL with wrist pain. Walker had started to provide more at the plate for the team after a shift in his stance at the plate that gave his swing a direct line to pitches.

“He was starting to into a pretty good rhythm,� Marmol said. “The adjustment with his hands got him more direct to the ball. He felt better about his at-bats. They were looking a lot better. The timing of the injury kind of stinks because he was starting to feel it hopefully he can pick up right there.�

Walker declined comment Saturday due to a busy pre-game schedule.

To make room on the active roster for Walker, the Cardinals optioned center fielder Michael Siani to Class AAA Memphis just a few days and one start after his promotion.

The Cardinals scheduled Walker for a minimum of two games with Memphis to make sure he recovered well. They did not expect him to need much time, if any, to regain his feel at the plate. He went 3 for 4 on Friday night with three singles, three RBIs, and two runs scored.

Donovan went through intensive and extensive workouts Friday at American Family Field, and afterward gave an encouraging report to the team’s trainers and Marmol about how his left big toe felt. He wore a carbon-fiber insert to limit its flexibility within his cleat, and that helped him feel more comfortable at the plate when his back foot twisted during his swing. Donovan was set to take batting practice at the field Saturday, and Marmol said that will prepare Donovan to be in the lineup Sunday for the series finale in Milwaukee.

“We’re just going through it right now,� Marmol said of the offense. “It stinks, but it’s different than other times when you’re just in a rut and can’t see you’re way out of it.�

Fedde’s sweeping hope

Other than the baseball seams imprinted on his forearm, not too far from his left wrist, the lasting impact of Erick Fedde’s start Friday night was the restored zip to his sweeping slider.

Fedde took a line drive off his forearm in the fourth inning. His hand went numb “like you slept on it for 12 hours.� After that initial scare, feeling returned and he had only the welt from the hit and stitches as a reminder. He continued to pitch into the sixth inning, and the bruise didn’t slow what was the real breakthrough of the evening.

His sweeper’s average velocity jumped up 1 mph to 82.3 mph and reached 85.2 mph.

“My stuff was as good as it’s been all year,� Fedde said. “To give up three runs feels like I wasted that stuff. … (Adding velocity to sweeper) was kind of the main goal. It’s been bigger this year. It hasn’t been harder. I feel guys haven’t had a problem seeing it. Today I had a lot of swings where guys didn’t see it well.�

Fedde said he turned to teammate Sonny Gray for some guidance on how to reconnect with the breaking ball, its shape, and its speed. Gray and Fedde talked about everything from the use of the sweeper to thumb placement, which Fedde adjusted.

He got three swings-and-misses on the pitch in his 5 1/3 innings.

“Any time a pitch gets better it just protects the other stuff,� Fedde said. “Really, the swing and miss on the sweeper has been irrelevant this year. To have it back – I felt like that was one of the best pitches in baseball last year, my sweeper. To have that back is going to make everything else better. Hoping to build off of that.�

Former Cardinal Johnny O’Brien dies

A legend in Seattle, a former Cardinal, and grandfather to Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien, Johnny O’Brien died Friday night, a member of his family confirmed Saturday. He was 94. The Seattle Times reported that he died of natural causes.

O’Brien played in the 1950s, first as a rookie with the Pirates and then later, after a trade in June 1958, with the Cardinals. He was teammates with both Roberto Clemente and Stan Musial and his brother, Eddie. An accomplished All-American basketball player at Seattle University, Johnny O’Brien once scored 43 points in an update of the Harlem Globetrotters.

This past spring, he talked to Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman about his grandson following him to the Cardinals: “It’s just a delight to see him pitch. My words to Riley have always been — throw strikes. And he’s got blazing stuff. … He’s a really good kid and a positive person. And, I might add, a hard worker.�

Vilade claimed, etc.

The Cincinnati Reds claimed Ryan Vilade off waivers from the Cardinals, who designated the outfielder for assignment to open up a roster spot for reliever Andre Granillo this past week. Vilade will join the Reds’ active roster. … Days after making his major-league debut against the Cardinals wearing No. 33, Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski switched to No. 32, which was vacated Saturday when Milwaukee traded Aaron Civale to the White Sox. … A rally in the eighth inning Friday night lifted the Class AA Springfield Cardinals to a win and trimmed their magic number to clinch a first-half title down to five with eight games remaining. The Texas League awards a playoff berth to the top teams of the first half.