This spring may not signal the start of a championship run for the St. Louis Cardinals, but it remains a crucial period for establishing the team’s future.
For over a year, the Cardinals have focused on building resources to stay competitive in the coming seasons, complementing the promising young talent already in the organization.
Unfortunately, one of those key young players is currently dealing with an injury.
Catcher and designated hitter Ivan Herrera had initially planned to represent Panama in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. However, he was unable to participate after failing to secure the necessary insurance coverage following arthroscopic surgery this offseason to remove bone spurs from his elbow.
The procedure required a rehabilitation process that extended into spring training. Herrera made his Grapefruit League debut on Feb. 26 and has appeared in three games this spring, most recently on Friday.
He was expected to play his fourth spring game against the New York Mets on Saturday as the designated hitter, but he was removed from the lineup shortly before the game.
According to Rob Rains of the St. Louis Sports Page, the late change was due to inflammation in Herrera’s right knee.
Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said the team will monitor Herrera for the next one to two days to see how he responds to rest before deciding on the next steps.
Despite mostly serving as a designated hitter last season, Herrera was one of the Cardinals’ most productive offensive players. He finished the year with a .284 batting average, a .373 on-base percentage, and a .464 slugging percentage, posting an .837 OPS with 13 doubles, 19 home runs, and 66 RBIs across 107 games.
Herrera had two stints on the injured list last season. He was out from April 7-May 8 with right knee inflammation and was on the shelf from June 20-July 12 with a left hamstring strain.
Pedro Pages took over the main catching duties while Herrera was either out or DHing last season. There was expectation that Herrera would begin the season again in a DH role before eventually transitioning back to catching.
This latest setback could delay whatever timeline the Cardinals have in place for the 25-year-old to return to the backstop.
If St. Louis discovers it’s a more-serious injury, then the team will likely have Pages resume catching duties and look for someone else to take over as the primary DH.
The Cardinals’ spring training finale takes place against the Houston Astros at 10:05 a.m. CT on March 22 at CACTI Park in West Palm Beach, Fla.
St. Louis will begin its regular season against the Tampa Bay Rays at 2:15 p.m. CT on March 26 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
