Cardinals Make Surprise Move, Demote Jimmy Crooks

It appears as though the St. Louis Cardinals are making a change behind the plate.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that Cardinals No. 7 prospect Leo Bernal will be joining the big league club on Tuesday and making his Major League Baseball debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

As of writing, the Cardinals haven't officially announced the move just yet, but they have already made a move behind the plate. Fellow top prospect Jimmy Crooks has been optioned down to Triple-A Memphis after 52 games in the majors, per his official MLB.com profile.

Crooks shined down in Triple-A to kick off the 2026 season. Fans were clamoring on the club to give him a chance in the majors. In May, the Cardinals did give him that shot. In Triple-A, Crooks slashed .262/.412/.567 with a .980 OPS, 13 home runs and 29 RBIs. There were swing-and-miss concerns lingering over Crooks, but he looked better and earned his promotion.

Unfortunately, his bat hasn't able to wake up in the majors. In 52 games, Crooks slashed .179/.255/.336 with a .591 OPS, five home runs and 14 RBIs.

Jimmy Crooks Was Sent Down

Aug 28, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) looks on after hitting a 2-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Crooks heading down to Triple-A, that will leave the Cardinals with Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés on the big league club. Bernal will join this group when the Cardinals make the promotion official. Arguably, it's a bit interesting that the Cardinals would opt to send down Crooks rather than making a move with Pagés at this time.

The Cardinals are loaded with elite catching prospects. Bernal will be the latest to join the majors, but Crooks was in the category as well. Plus, No. 1 prospect Rainiel Rodríguez is working his way up. And it's not long ago that Herrera was in this category himself. We've seen Herrera turn into an elite offensive piece, but his defense isn't up to the same level.

Soon enough, we'll end up seeing the Cardinals have to make some sort of move because there are only so many innings to go around. There are teams around the league who'd likely love to have a 25-year-old like Crooks on their roster. Arguably, rather than sending him down, St. Louis should've paired him with Bernal down the stretch. In a perfect world, Crooks would've turned it around offensively and would be an intriguing offseason trade chip.

Maybe he still can be, but his trade value certainly isn't massively high right now.

The Cardinals made the right call promoting Crooks to the majors when they did. Unfortunately, things just haven't worked out so far. That doesn't mean it won't at some point. Look at Jordan Walker, for example. Now, he's heading down to Triple-A to try to find his swing.

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