Cardinals' Oli Marmol Reacts to Growing Jimmy Crooks Promotion Debate

If you're a St. Louis Cardinals fan, you've likely heard a lot about No. 7 prospect Jimmy Crooks down in the minors.

Crooks has been awesome for Triple-A Memphis so far this season. The 24-year-old is slashing .272/.420/.608 with a 1.028 OPS, 13 homers, 29 RBIs, 27 walks, three doubles, and 32 runs scored in 35 games played.

So far this season, the Cardinals have rolled with Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo on the big league roster. Pagés and Herrera have gotten the most time behind the plate so far this season, but Pozo is a depth option for the club.

There have been fans calling on the club to promote Crooks since pretty early on in the 2026 campaign. But a move has not been made and it doesn't sound like one is coming in the near future. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol joined "BK & Ferrario" on 101 ESPN St. Louis and was asked about Crooks and the catching situation in general.

The Cardinals Aren't Making A Change

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"So, the way we look at this is that we do have three catchers at the big league level," Marmol said. "Pozo came into this knowing that he's going to be a right-handed bat and coming in for defense if we hit for [Pedro Pagés] late in the game. So that was laid out from the beginning as to why we would carry three. Part of it was to also see how Iván responded physically to the workload. I think we're in a really good spot. What [Pedro Pagés] does behind the plate is hard to put into words. Pitchers really trust him for a reason. ...

"I think we're in a good spot. It allows Jimmy right now to continue to get reps. He's making improvements. You're seeing the strikeout rate start to go down, which is one of the things he was tasked with. That is what you want. ... I don't think you have to get impatient there."

#STLCards manager @OliMarmol understands & shares Cardinals fans' excitement about Jimmy Crooks, but the team is happy with its current catching situation. #BKandFerrario pic.twitter.com/jNogbiM0vl
— 101 ESPN St. Louis (@101espn) May 21, 2026

With Pagés getting consistent time behind the plate, you're getting a good defender and a leader in the clubhouse. Crooks would bring more offense, but clearly the team isn't ready to make a change. At some point this season, we'll likely see Crooks back up in the majors, but that time isn't now.

The Cardinals are doing pretty much everything right this season. It's hard to argue against any call they're making.

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