Cardinals Catcher Iván Herrera Heads to IL, Pedro Pagés Steps Up Amid Hot Start
Well, that’s not what Cardinals fans wanted to hear, especially with the 2025 season finally showing some signs of life. Rising star catcher Iván Herrera is headed to the injured list with a left knee injury, according to St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. But here’s the silver lining—there’s no structural damage, just enough discomfort to warrant some time off. And Pedro Pagés looked more than capable filling in.
The injury happened during game one of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. Herrera came up limping after hustling down the line on a Luken Baker foul-out. Cameras later showed the 24-year-old catcher unable to put any weight on his leg as he was helped off the field by Marmol and head trainer Adam Olsen—a tough sight for Cards Nation.
This setback comes just as Herrera was heating up and turning heads around Major League Baseball. In just 22 plate appearances, the young backstop was absolutely raking—posting a scorching .381 batting average, a .458 OBP, and a jaw-dropping 1.048 slugging percentage. Four home runs, eleven RBIs, and one historic night where he became the first catcher in franchise history to hit three homers in a single game. That’s 144 seasons of Cardinals baseball, and Herrera just etched his name in it.
Pedro Pagés to the Rescue
With Herrera sidelined, the Cardinals are turning to 26-year-old Venezuelan Pedro Pagés, who wasted no time showing he’s ready for the spotlight.
He stepped in Sunday and went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in game one. Game two? Not as hot—0-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts—but that first impression? Pretty solid.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting: who’s backing up Pagés? Willson Contreras, once the starting catcher, has shifted to first base and designated hitter duties this year and is off to a slow start. According to John Mozeliak, Cards President of Baseball Ops, Contreras catching again in 2025 is “unlikely.”
So the Cardinals are calling in reinforcements—Yohel Pozo is expected to join the team in Pittsburgh for Monday’s matchup against the Pirates. He’s not on the 40-man roster just yet, so someone’s going to get the bump to make room. We’ll likely find out that move by Monday afternoon before the 5:40 p.m. CT first pitch in the Steel City.
Injuries are never easy, especially when they hit a player with this kind of momentum. But if Iván Herrera’s early-season fireworks showed us anything, it’s that he’s going to be a key piece of the Cardinals’ puzzle moving forward.
For now, it’s Pedro Pagés’ time behind the plate—and all eyes are on what he’ll do next.
