Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Set to split time at catcher
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Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that Herrera and Pedro Pages will share playing time at catcher next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Willson Contreras is moving into a first base/designated hitter role, clearing the way for Herrera and Pages to handle catching duties. Herrera is much more intriguing of the two from an offensive standpoint, having slashed .301/.377/.417 in 85 games over the last two seasons with the Cardinals. However, his defense -- and particularly his throwing -- have drawn scrutiny, to the point that Pages leapt him on the depth chart down the stretch.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Homers in Thursday's loss
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Herrera went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 10-8 loss to the Rockies.
This was Herrera's second homer in his last four games, though he hasn't seen steady playing time in that span. He got a start at designated hitter Thursday with Pedro Pages behind the dish. Herrera has hit well but not for much power this year with a .298/.368/.427 slash line, five home runs, 27 RBI, 37 runs scored, 12 doubles and five stolen bases over 71 contests.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Remains hot Saturday
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Herrera went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, an additional run, a double and a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win against Cleveland.
Herrera clubbed a three-run shot in the seventh inning to increase the Cardinals' lead to 6-1. The catcher has gone 9-for-20 over his past seven games to push his season batting average to an impressive .293. Herrera remains behind Pedro Pages in the backstop pecking order, however, as Pages has started five of the Cardinals' past eight games behind the plate.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Racks up three hits
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Herrera went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Pirates.
Herrera is batting .320 (8-for-25) over eight games in September, though he's been in the backup role for much of the last week. Pedro Pages continues to see a slight edge for playing time behind the dish. Herrera has done enough to avoid being completely ignored with a .288/.354/.387 slash line, three home runs, five stolen bases, 23 RBI and 32 runs scored over 66 contests this season.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: On bench again Wednesday
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Herrera is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Herrera had a slight edge over Pedro Pages in playing time in the first week after Willson Contreras (finger) got hurt and landed on the injured list. However, the playing time has recently been tilting in favor of Pages, who has now started six of the last eight contests. With Thursday's series finale being an afternoon game, Herrera will likely be back in the lineup that day.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Records fifth steal
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Herrera went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 loss to the Mariners.
Herrera was the only Cardinal with multiple hits in the contest. The catcher has gone 3-for-12 with one RBI and four runs scored over four games in September. Herrera has operated as the No. 2 catcher behind Pedro Pages since Willson Contreras (finger) landed on the injured list. Herrera has a .281/.350/.382 slash line, three home runs, five steals, 22 RBI and 30 runs scored across 223 plate appearances this season.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Resting Saturday
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Herrera isn't in the Cardinals' lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera has gone 5-for-15 with three RBI across his last five games, but he'll sit down for a second consecutive contest Saturday while Pedro Pages catches for Kyle Gibson and bats seventh.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Not in Monday's lineup
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Herrera is not in the lineup for Monday's game in Milwaukee.
In nine games since Willson Contreras (finger) went on the 10-day injured list, Herrera has started five games at catcher for the Cardinals, while Pedro Pages has garnered four starts. Pages will handle the catching duties for the series opener versus the Brewers.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Sitting Friday
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Herrera is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.
Herrera had started three of the Cardinals previous four games, but he'll give way to Pedro Pages behind the plate Friday. Since being called up Sunday, Herrera is 3-for-12 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Added to big-league roster
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The Cardinals recalled Herrera from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
The 24-year-old will join the Cardinals as Willson Contreras heads to the injured list due to a fractured finger. Herrera should split playing time behind the plate with Pedro Pages while Contreras is sidelined.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Slated for call-up
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The Cardinals are expected to recall Herrera from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Willson Contreras suffered a fractured finger on Saturday and will require a stint on the injured list, opening up a spot on the 26-man roster for Herrera. The 24-year-old will mix in with Pedro Pages behind the dish while Contreras is sidelined. In 191 big-league plate appearances this season, Herrera is slashing .279/.340/.378 with three home runs and four stolen bases.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Heating up at Triple-A
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Herrera (shoulder) has gone 8-for-19 with a home run, a stolen base and two walks in five games since returning to the Triple-A Memphis lineup Tuesday.
Herrera was held out for a little over a week earlier in the month while recovering from a left shoulder sprain, but he's since been given the green light to return and has looked dialed in at the dish. He's now slashing .345/.457/.448 through eight games in August.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Dealing with left shoulder sprain
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Herrera has been out of the lineup for Triple-A Memphis due to a left shoulder sprain, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera has not played for Memphis since Aug. 4 against Durham. Since being activated from the 10-day injured list July 12, he's slashing .275/.431/.425 with 11 walks, one home run and four RBI across 51 minor-league plate appearances. It's not clear if the 24-year-old catcher will need another stint on the IL.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Activated, sent to Triple-A
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The Cardinals activated Herrera (back) from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Memphis.
Herrera has been shelved since June 22 due to soreness in his lower back, and although he's now healthy, the 24-year-old won't rejoin the big-league roster. Pedro Pages will handle backup catching duties behind Willson Contreras in St. Louis.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Progressing through rehab program
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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.
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 on 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.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Beginning rehab assignment
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Herrera (back) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis on Thursday, Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
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.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Swinging bat, plans to catch
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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.
Herrera added that he may progress to participating in batting practice within the next several days, and a rehab assignment could come shortly thereafter 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.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Hoping to swing bat Wednesday
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Herrera (back) will play catch Tuesday and is hoping to hit off a tee and take flips Wednesday, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
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.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Placed on IL
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The Cardinals placed Herrera on the 10-day injured list Saturday with lower-back tightness.
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.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Nursing back issue
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Herrera is unavailable to play Thursday against the Giants due to a back issue, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
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.
