St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Set to Make First Career Start in Left Field

Iván Herrera has only logged time at catcher and designated hitter through his first four MLB seasons, but the St. Louis Cardinals are moving him to the outfield for Monday's showdown with the Miami Marlins.

Baltimore, Maryland, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) looks on before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

As the St. Louis Cardinals gear up for what could be a wild trade deadline, manager Oliver Marmol has turned in quite the shocking lineup card.

Iván Herrera will bat second and start in left field against the Miami Marlins on Monday. The 25-year-old has only ever played catcher and designated hitter in the majors or minors, with his eight appearances at first base in the Caribbean Series standing out as his only experience elsewhere.

The Cardinals are rolling with Yohel Pozo at catcher and Alec Burleson at designated hitter on Monday, filling both of the roles Herrera would normally claim. Between Herrera, Pozo and Pedro Pagés, St. Louis has three catchers on its active roster, so working them all into the lineup was bound to take some level of creativity.

As relayed by MLB.com's John Denton, the last time Herrera logged time in the outfield was when he was 14 years old playing youth baseball. He has been running through outfield drills with assistant coach Jon Jay over the past week in preparation for the defensive change.

Herrera is batting .313 with nine home runs, eight doubles, 25 runs, 39 RBIs, an .883 OPS and a 1.1 WAR so far in 2025. Pozo is batting .295 with a .794 OPS and 0.5 WAR, while Pagés is batting .199 with a .553 OPS and -0.1 WAR.

Here is the Cardinals' full lineup and defensive alignment for Monday's series opener against the Marlins:

1. Brendan Donovan, 2B
2. Iván Herrera, LF
3. Alec Burleson, DH
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Masyn Winn, SS
6. Jordan Walker, RF
7. Yohel Pozo, C
8. Thomas Saggese, 3B
9. Victor Scott II, CF
SP: Andre Pallante, RHP

First pitch from Busch Stadium is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET.

Tonight's lineup vs. Miami: pic.twitter.com/HbgGGRnLdO

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) July 28, 2025

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