Herrera (hamstring) was given pregame reps in the outfield with the Cardinals prior to beginning his rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera's playing time at catcher in the second half will be reduced -- if not outright eliminated -- as the Cardinals look to keep him healthy and also prioritize defense at the position. The 25-year-old will be the team's primary designated hitter down the stretch, but he's being worked out in the outfield "to see what that looks like," per manager Oliver Marmol. Herrera has played 14 games at catcher this season, so he is in danger of losing catcher eligibility heading into 2026, if your league uses a 20-game threshold. He is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list for the first game after the All-Star break.

Herrera (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera will serve as Memphis' designated hitter for the next four days. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol noted that Herrera's catching will be limited in the second half due to two injuries to the same (left) leg, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Barring any setbacks, Herrera will rejoin the Cardinals' active roster for the first game after the All-Star break and will be the team's primary DH. He's been shelved since late June with a left hamstring strain.

Herrera (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday or Friday and expects to be activated from the 10-day injured list upon resumption of play after the All-Star break, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

EDGE Analysis

Coming back from a strained left hamstring, Herrera ran the bases at full speed over the weekend and is able to do all other baseball activities. He will presumably remain on his rehab assignment with Memphis through early next week before returning to the Cardinals' active roster coming out of the All-Star break. Herrera was operating as the team's primary designated hitter before getting hurt, and he will be an everyday player between DH and catcher, once activated.

Herrera (hamstring) may begin a rehab assignment before the All-Star break, but he is not expected to be activated until after the break, per president of baseball operations John Mozeliak on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

EDGE Analysis

The fact that Herrera could start rehab games before the break makes it seem like he could be activated at or around the start of the second half, which begins July 18 in Arizona. Pedro Pages has been handling the bulk of the work behind the plate for the Cardinals in Herrera's absence.

An MRI on Friday revealed a Grade 2 strain in Herrera's left hamstring, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera told reporters Friday that he is expected to miss 2-to-6 weeks due to the strain. He was warned by medical staff that attempting to play through the strain could result to a season-ending injury, so the decision was made to shut him down and place him on the 10-day injured list. The Cardinals should have a better sense of when Herrera can return once he resumes baseball activities, but the severity of the injury could keep the 25-year-old sidelined through the All-Star break. With Herrera sidelined, Yohel Pozo will serve as the primary backup catcher behind Pedro Pages, while Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese and Willson Contreras are candidates to see increased work at designated hitter.

The Cardinals placed Herrera on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Friday.

EDGE Analysis

It's a tough blow for the St. Louis lineup, as Herrera had cemented himself as the team's top power bat in the heart of the order. Herrera is slashing .320/.392/.533 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, 22 runs scored, one stolen base and a 16:32 BB:K across 171 plate appearances. This will be his second trip to the injured list this season after missing time with a knee injury earlier in the year. Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo will handle catching duties for the Cardinals, while Nolan Gorman and prospect Thomas Saggese, who was promoted in a corresponding move Friday, should fill the hole left by Herrera.

Herrera is not in the lineup for the second game Thursday's doubleheader against the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The last game Herrera did not play in was May 10 as he has started in every game since then. He went 2-for-4 and came across as a run in the the Cardinals' 5-4 win over the White Sox in the first game of the doubleheader Thursday.

Herrera went 2-for-5 with four RBI in Tuesday's win over the White Sox.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera collected a pair of two-RBI singles, and his night could have been even bigger if not for Michael Taylor robbing him of a home run to lead off the top of the fifth inning. The 25-year-old has now driven in 36 runs in just 41 games for the Cardinals this season. With Brendan Donovan moving up to the leadoff spot, Herrera appears to be cementing himself as St. Louis' new No. 3 hitter against right-handed pitching.

Herrera went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in an extra-inning loss to the Blue Jays on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera looked like he could end up as the hero when he smacked a three-run shot in the eighth inning to give the Cardinals a one-run lead, but Toronto ended up pulling out the win in 10 innings. Nonetheless, it was a promising performance by the backstop, who has notched multiple hits in back-to-back games. That could be a sign that Herrera is turning things around, as before the pair of contests he was mired in a 9-for-53 slump over a 15-game span.

Herrera went 3-for-7 with a two-run home run and a walk as the Cardinals split Thursday's doubleheader versus the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

Herrera was the designated hitter for both games, which continues to be his main place in the lineup. The matinee was his first multi-hit effort since May 20, ending a stretch of 11 contests where he went a meager 6-for-38 (.158). For the season, Herrera is at a .333/.417/.578 slash line, six homers, 28 RBI, 18 runs scored and one stolen base over 30 contests. Even though he's slowed down with the bat in recent weeks, his spot as a near-everyday member of the lineup appears to be safe.