Herrera (back) said Saturday that he has been swinging a bat over the past several days and plans on catching a bullpen session soon, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera added that he may progress to participating in batting practice within the next several days, and a rehab assignment could come shortly afterward if his back responds properly. However, it's possible the Cardinals opt to keep him in the minor leagues once he's activated now that Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages are both on the active roster.

Herrera (back) will play catch Tuesday and is hoping to hit off a tee and take flips Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera is eligible for activation Saturday but could need a rehab assignment before returning. He could make it back by early July if all goes well. It wouldn't seem to be a given that Herrera rejoins the big-league roster at that point, however, since Willson Contreras is back from the injured list and Pedro Pages had been playing over Herrera prior to the latter's injury.

The Cardinals placed Herrera on the 10-day injured list Saturday with lower-back tightness.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera's back issue forced him to miss both of St. Louis' last two games, and the Cardinals will now elect to shut him down for another week. Nick Raposo was selected from Triple-A Memphis to add depth behind the plate, though most starts will likely be given to Pedro Pages.

Herrera is unavailable to play Thursday against the Giants due to a back issue, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera's back evidently locked up on him sometime around his arrival at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. It partly explains why he's not in the lineup, although Pedro Pages has been the Cardinals' preferred option at catcher lately, anyway. At this point, Herrera should be considered day-to-day. St. Louis has a team day off Friday, so he'll have an extra day of rest before the series versus the Giants picks back up Saturday.

Herrera isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera will sit for the second game in a row Thursday despite going 8-for-18 with three RBI across his last five contests. Pedro Pages will instead start behind the plate and bat eighth.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera will get a breather for Wednesday's day game after going 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored while catching the first nine innings of Tuesday night's 9-8 extra-inning loss. Pedro Pages will step in behind the dish for the series finale.

Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Even though he served as the Cardinals' designated hitter the last two days rather than catching, Herrera will take a seat for the series finale in Chicago. Masyn Winn will get a day off from playing shortstop and will serve as St. Louis' DH, while Pedro Pages picks up a fourth consecutive start behind the plate. Though Pages' playing time has been trending up of late, he's still holding down a lowly .443 OPS on the season and still looks to be behind Herrera on the depth chart while top backstop Willson Contreras (forearm) is on the shelf.

Herrera went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, one RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera is up to four steals this season, three of which he's recorded over 11 games in June. The catcher is batting .316 (12-for-38) this month, adding five doubles, seven runs scored and one RBI. For the season, he's at a steady .273/.335/.366 slash line with three home runs, 17 RBI, 22 runs scored and six doubles over 179 plate appearances. Herrera has started behind the dish just once in the last five games, though it's unclear why his playing time has dipped since Pedro Pages has made little impact with his bat.

Herrera isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera started at catcher in the win over the Pirates on Wednesday night, so he will get a breather for Thursday's afternoon tilt. Pedro Pages will serve as the Cardinals' starting catcher in the series finale.

Herrera went 3-for-4 with a run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 win against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera and Nolan Arenado both had three hits for St. Louis in the win, combining for over half of the team's total base knocks. Herrera helped generate a run in the fourth inning when he led off with a single, advanced to second on another single, stole third and crossed the plate on an infield hit. The backstop has four multi-hit performances through 10 contests in June and is batting .314 (11-for-35) overall this month.