St. Louis Cardinals catcher will be placed on the injured list due to a left knee injury, manager Oliver Marmol confirmed to ESPN’s Buster Olney during last game against the Boston Red Sox. Fortunately, after imaging tests, the team is relieved to learn that there is no structural damage to the knee. He exited the first game of Sunday’s day-night doubleheader in the third inning after limping off the field following a foul-out by Luken Baker to end the inning.
He needed assistance from manager Oliver Marmol and Cardinals head athletic trainer Adam Olsen to leave the field after sustaining his left knee injury. A video from the St. Louis broadcast showed Herrera unable to put weight on his leg as he hobbled off the field and into the dugout. The 24-year-old catcher had been one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals in what was expected to be a challenging 2025 season. In just 22 plate appearances, Herrera posted an impressive slash line of .381/.458/1.048, with four home runs and 11 RBIs before the injury. Notably, he hit three home runs in a single game last week, becoming the first catcher in the franchise’s 144-year history to do so. His 11 RBIs are also tied for the eighth-most in MLB this season.
With Iván Herrera’s injury, St. Louis is likely to hand the everyday catching duties to Pedro Pagés. The 26-year-old Venezuelan stepped in for Herrera in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs after entering the game.
Pedro Pagés followed up his strong performance on Sunday with a rough outing later in the night, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. With Iván Herrera’s injury, the question arose about who would back up Pagés behind the plate. During last November’s MLB GM Meetings, it was revealed that former starter Willson Contreras would primarily transition to first base and designated hitter in 2025, and Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak indicated that it was “unlikely” Contreras would catch much in the future.
With Herrera on the injured list, Pagés becomes the only primary catcher on St. Louis’ 40-man roster. However, Marmol announced that Yohel Pozo will meet the team in Pittsburgh to join the roster. Since Pozo isn’t currently on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals will need to make a corresponding move to add him once Herrera is officially placed on the IL. The team is expected to make that roster move sometime on Monday afternoon before their 5:40 p.m. CT matchup against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.