Cardinals Fan-Favorite Yohel Pozo's Time In St. Louis Is Over

The St. Louis Cardinals had to make a tough roster decision last week, designating 29-year-old catcher Yohel Pozo for assignment.

St. Louis designated the veteran catcher for assignment among a flurry of roster moves to kick off the second half of the regular season, which should not have been that big of a surprise considering Pozo's last appearance in the big leagues came on May 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pozo appeared in only 18 games for the Cardinals this season and 85 total across his two seasons with the team, slashing .233/.259/.358 with five home runs and 24 runs batted in. His offense has not been great, but Pozo has given St. Louis solid depth at catcher and has performed far better in Triple-A.

The Cardinals won't be bringing the veteran catcher back

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Poz — May 15, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Yohel Pozo (63) celebrates after hitting a wall-off one run single against the Kansas City Royals during the eleventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Though being designated for assignment wasn't a guarantee that Pozo would be done with the Cardinals organization, the veteran catcher will officially not be returning after the Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.

Baltimore has recently grown to need some reinforcements at catcher following injuries to both Adley Rutschman (left wrist inflammation) and Samuel Basallo (right shoulder inflammation), who were both placed on the injured list. Rutschman and Basallo have split catcher duties for the majority of the season, but with both injured, Baltimore will turn to Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp.

Now the Orioles have another depth option to choose between with Pozo, who still has options available. It's unclear whether the 29-year-old will land directly on the Orioles' roster or if the team will have him begin his time with them in the minor leagues. Pozo was beloved in St. Louis, but it will be interesting to see how many more roster moves are in store for the Cardinals with the Aug. 3 trade deadline less than two weeks away.

St. Louis' success this season has been surprising, as the team sits just outside of the playoffs, but a slow start to the second half of the season has raised questions about how the team will handle the trade deadline. Despite how well the Cardinals have performed this season, they were planning to be in a rebuild year, so it would be surprising to see them pull off any major moves at the deadline.

With the rough patch St. Louis has hit, it seems more likely the team will wind up selling again this year.

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