NEW YORK -- Speaking before outfielder Jordan Walker was about to begin his third stint with the Cardinals this season, manager Oliver Marmol stressed that despite the 6-foot-6 slugger’s struggles and his yo-yoing between the big leagues and the Minor Leagues, Marmol still thinks Walker has superstar potential.

“I want to be super clear when I say this: I think Jordan Walker has a chance to be a real, game-changing, impact player for a very long time for this organization,” Marmol said of the second-year player the Cardinals recalled on Friday after designating Tommy Pham for assignment. “In order for him to do that, he’s going to need the at-bats, but he’s also going to need some real adjustments in those at-bats to become that player. But I do have confidence in his ability to do that.”

The Cardinals, who lost, 6-3, to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, got to see a mixture of good and bad from the 22-year-old Walker on Friday night. The good was Walker using his long wingspan to hit Marcus Stroman’s 85.1 mph slider on the outer half of the plate for a line-drive single in the fourth inning.

The not-so-good moments came in Walker’s first and third at-bats, when Stroman tested his patience with perfectly placed off-speed pitches. In the second inning, with runners on first and third and one out following a Paul Goldschmidt double and a Lars Nootbaar single, Walker came to the plate with a chance to jump-start a scoring spree for the Redbirds. However, he lunged badly for an 82.9 mph slurve to strike out.

Then in the seventh inning, Stroman, in his final inning of work, dangled a tantalizing 75.9 curveball just off the plate to get a second strikeout of Walker. The outfielder’s chances of swatting the pitch were hampered by his front shoulder pulling off the pitch -- long an issue in the eyes of a Cardinals club that would like to see him stay on pitches longer and use the whole field.

“I think I need to just not swing at that pitch, but his stuff was really moving a lot,” Walker said. “He took something off his slider, but then he threw his curveball, and I timed it well. The [off-the-plate pitches] looked like something I could hit, and then they just ran away from me. Those balls off the plate, I need to not swing at them even though they looked really good.”

Unlike the stretch from Aug. 12-18, when Walker was recalled from Memphis and was used only in a platoon role with Nootbaar, Walker is expected to get an extended run of playing time. Somewhat shockingly, the former top prospect in the Cardinals’ system was optioned back to Triple-A Memphis on Aug. 20 after getting just 11 at bats in four games -- three starts and a pinch-hit opportunity.

This time, Walker knows that he’s going to get an extended opportunity to show the Cardinals that he can still be a key building block. Last season, following an April 26 demotion to Triple-A, Walker responded well upon his June 2 return and finished his rookie season at .276 with 16 homers, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs in 117 games.

“They’re giving me a chance, and I’ve got to be ready and play my game,” said Walker, the No. 21 overall pick from the 2020 MLB Draft. “I think it’s just about keeping my confidence up. I feel like I did a good job with that last year, so why can’t I make those same adjustments this year? I feel pretty confident that I can hit, and now it’s just about executing. These [big league] guys are really good and they’re no joke, but I feel I can compete at this level.”

Though making mechanical and approach changes didn’t come easily to him, Walker does think he made the kind of corrections that should help him -- both this season and for years to come. Even though he didn’t stick long with the Cardinals the last time around, Walker thinks he made some real progress with Memphis.

“This game is not just numbers; it’s also a lot about feel,” Walker said. “Sometimes I go 0-fer at the plate and I feel great, and sometimes I get two hits and I don’t feel that good. It’s about how I’m feeling, how I’m seeing the ball and how early I’m loading.

“I feel like I have a solid approach with my swing mechanics that I can stick with now. I’ve done a lot of switching back and forth, but now I feel solid whether I have a good day or a bad one. If I feel good, I just stick with it.”