OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Sat 7/6/24 2:59 PM

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said Saturday that Herrera (back) experienced no pain after Friday's rehab outing with Triple-A Memphis, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
As the designated hitter Friday, Herrera went 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI and one walk. Marmol noted that Herrera will start behind home plate soon, and a return to the majors will hinge on the 24-year-old's ability to start at catcher in back-to-back days. Before landing on the injured list June 22 with lower-back tightness, Herrera was slashing .279/.340/.378 with three home runs and 19 RBI over 191 major-league plate appearances.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Wed 7/3/24 4:22 PM

Herrera (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
EDGE Analysis
Herrera is slated to catch five innings with Memphis on Thursday for his first game action since being placed on the IL on June 22 due to back soreness. Even when healthy, it's unclear if Herrera will stick around with the Cardinals considering Willson Contreras and Pedro Pages are both active.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Sat 6/29/24 3:24 PM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Tue 6/25/24 4:46 PM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Sat 6/22/24 12:16 PM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Thu 6/20/24 4:50 PM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Thu 6/20/24 2:45 PM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Wed 6/19/24 10:13 AM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Sun 6/16/24 10:49 AM

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.

OUTIvan Herrera
C/DH STL
Fri 6/14/24 6:55 PM

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.