Cardinals Have Replacement Ready If Pedro Pagés Misses Time

The St. Louis Cardinals were bitten by the injury bug a tad on Saturday.

St. Louis faced off against the Seattle Mariners and lost, 11-9. Offensively, it was likely Pedro Pagés' best game of the season. He went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk and two RBIs. Unfortunately, he had to leave early, though, due to tightness in his left hamstring, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

When Goold shared the news on X, he noted that it was "worth watching" Triple-A Memphis to see if something would happen with No. 8 prospect Jimmy Crooks.

Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat shared shortly afterward that Crooks was, in fact, not in Memphis' lineup on Saturday.

The Cardinals Catcher Exited On Saturday

Apr 19, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) hits a single against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

"Jimmy Crooks is not in tonight's Memphis lineup. Brody Moore is making his third career professional start at first base to allow Andy Yerzy to catch, with Bernal having caught last night. This one is not difficult to clock," Jones wrote.

The club hasn't announced a move, as of writing, but with Pagés removed and Crooks not in the lineup for Memphis at least makes it sound like the 24-year-old could be coming to town. Crooks is one of the hottest overall prospects out there down in Triple-A right now offensively. He has played in 19 games and is slashing .286/.405/.643 with a 1.048 OPS, eight homers and 18 RBIs. It has been a talking point all season that Crooks should get a shot in the majors, although you never want that to be the case due to injury.

Crooks has endless potential offensively and could add some left-handed pop to this lineup. We've started to see Iván Herrera find his footing offensively this season as well. A lefty-righty tandem of Herrera and Crooks would be pretty dangerous for opposing pitchers.

Overall, Pagés has played in 17 games so far for St. Louis and is slashing .250/.310/.404 with two homers and seven RBIs after his big game on Saturday for the organization. Again, the club hasn't announced a move at this moment. The club very well could have had Crooks on standby just in case as they look at Pagés' hamstring more closely. If the club has any concern and Pagés needs to miss time, expect to see Crooks up in the majors very soon. If Pagés is alright, then the status quo will remain in place.

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