St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera started his rehab assignment from an injured knee on Thursday. He hit a home run in his first game with the Cardinal’s Triple A affiliate in Memphis. Even without playing a game since April 6, Herrera is still second on the Cardinals in home runs. His return will be a much-needed power boost for the struggling Cardinals.
Cardinals Biggest Home Run Threat So Far
Herrera showed how threatening he can be in the batter’s box in a single game on April 2nd. He became the first catcher in franchise history to hit three home runs in a game in a rout of the Los Angeles Angels.
The 24-year-old catcher is slashing .381/.458/1.048. He’s swatted four home runs and two doubles in just seven games so far in 2025. The Cardinals offense was humming early, largely thanks to Herrera’s success, but it has slid since. On April 11, the Cardinals were third in the League for runs. Three weeks later, absent Herrera, the Cardinals are now 11th in the league in runs.
Only outfielder Lars Nootbaar has hit more home runs than Herrera on the Cardinals. It took Nootbaar 22 more games than Herrera to pass him, hitting his fifth home run on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.
How Long Will Herrera Be on the Rehab Assignment
Herrera has had three hits in seven at-bats in two rehab starts, including his home run in his first game back. On Friday, Herrera pitched five innings; on Thursday, he served as DH.
The Cardinals haven’t committed to a return day for Herrera. However, he could return to the Big-League Club as soon as next week. Herrera has passed all of his running and agility tests, a significant hurdle for a player who was helped off the field with his injured knee on April 6. With no structural damage, his injury was a bone bruise; Herrera should be able to return to full work once he is cleared.
The timeline may be accelerated thanks to another catcher injury on the Cardinals. Yohel Pozo, the catcher the Cardinals brought up to add depth when Herrera went to the IL, is now banged up. He was injured in a collision with Reds outfielder T.J. Friedl on Thursday. Pozo’s X-rays were negative, though the Cardinals are likely to be cautious with him for several days moving forward.
Much Needed Help for the Lineup
Pedro Pages has performed well in Herrera’s stead. The 26-year-old is already a better defensive option than Herrera thanks to his excellent ability to check base runners. However, offensively, Pages has been a good replacement as well. Pages has slashed .247/.263/.403 so far this season with two home runs. Because of his defensive ability and acceptable offensive output, he will continue to be a part of Cardinals lineups even after Herrera returns.
Herrera hasn’t played enough this season to qualify in most statistics. However, even with limited playing time, he is well above league average in hard hit percentage, bat speed, and exit velocity. The right-handed bat has shown why the Cardinals were so comfortable sliding perennial catcher Willson Contreras to first base. With Herrera batting towards the top of the lineup, the offense in general gives opposing pitchers much more to deal with.
Main Photo Credits: Rich Storry-Imagn Images
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