Cardinals' Ivan Herrera Might Finally Be Rediscovering His Stroke

Ivan Herrera may be back to normal.

Sep 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are playing out the remaining 19 games on their schedule hoping to finish the 2026 season strong. In the early portion of September, they have already seen some positive developments.

One of those developments is designated hitter Ivan Herrera. After cooling off in the month of July and not having the best month of August, there are now some signs of promise for the Cardinals slugger. With the Cardinals down to their final few outs on Friday night against the Colorado Rockies, Herrera hit a three-run homer to put them in front, and they held on for a win. He also hit a two-run blast on Saturday.

Ivan Herrera may be busting out of his slump

Sep 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after scoring a run on an RBI single hit by catcher Leo Bernal (not pictured) against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (not pictured) during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardinals needed more from Herrera in the previous two months of the season, and they may finally be getting that. At the trade deadline, Herrera was floated as a potential candidate to be moved, but with his recent success, he is proving why a trade would have been a bad idea.

While he isn't the best defensive catcher, his bat is simply too good to keep out of the lineup. The Cardinals also have a big supply of left-handed bats and need to balance that out with some right-handed thump. They haven't truly developed a star right-handed hitter since the days of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, and it still remains to be seen if Jordan Walker can repeat his success next year.

It's not as if Herrera is comparable to those players, but they certainly could use somebody in their lineup that can hit for power and average from the right side. Herrera could be that piece for them.

He was one of three Cardinals to be named an All-Star this season along with Riley O'Brien and Walker. A productive Herrera is certainly a good thing for the Cardinals lineup, and it could give them an edge as they look to finish the season strong and potentially get back into contention by 2027.

It's clear at this point that Herrera is not the catcher of the future, but his bat is too valuable to give up on. In his last 30 games, he is hitting .275/.367/.425 with four home runs and 16 RBI. That is the Herrera the Cardinals are used to seeing, and it's a good reason to keep him around as one of the building blocks for the future.