Could Cardinals Swap Struggling Catcher For Promising Prospect?

The St. Louis Cardinals have a surplus of talented catchers, but have one of their top prospects waiting to make his debut.

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Though the St. Louis Cardinals are just a few games out of the playoffs, with only a little over 30 games left in the season, the team should consider promoting top prospects to gain big-league experience.

St. Louis recently called up its No. 3 prospect, Joshua Báez, to gain experience, and the young outfielder made history in his first game, becoming the first player in MLB history to mash a home run in each of his first three plate appearances. Báez isn't the only one of the Cardinals' top prospects who are ready to make an impact in the majors.

Quinn Matthews has made a couple of appearances for the Cardinals already, yet MLB.com's Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo believe the next prospect the team could call up is 22-year-old catcher Leo Bernal, the team's No. 7 prospect.

St. Louis should give Bernal a shot

Memphis’ Leo Bernal (13) swings at a pitch during the game between the Memphis Redbirds and Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., on June 19, 2026. Memphis defeated Nashville 4-1. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Yes, St. Louis has too many catchers as it is in Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Jimmy Crooks, and ideally, you’d want Bernal getting everyday reps to prioritize his development across the board," Callis, Dykstra and Mayo wrote on Thursday. "That said, the 22-year-old switch-hitting backstop has already set a career high with 15 homers at Triple-A Memphis, and he’s been impressive with a .321/.384/.598 line in 29 games since the start of July.

"With pop times that can hover right around 1.8 seconds, he also has an arm that would play in the Majors immediately upon arrival, and Bernal’s solid mix of contact, swing decisions and exit velos would ease the transition too if given the chance."

The Cardinals do have a surplus of talented catchers already on their roster, with Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Jimmy Crooks, but that should not keep the team from giving Bernal a chance. Herrera makes the biggest impact on St. Louis' offense of all its catchers, but is limited in actually playing at the position, serving as a designated hitter almost twice as often.

Even without Herrera, the Cardinals still have Pagés and Crooks, who are both young and gaining experience. Pagés provides a strong defensive presence behind the plate, and Crooks was promoted earlier this season to inject more offense into the lineup, but he's struggled to make an impact.

With Crooks struggling to make a difference at the plate, batting a mere .174, St. Louis should swap him for Bernal. Bernal is tearing things up in Triple-A, slashing .281/.365/.474, and has set career highs with 15 home runs and 73 runs batted in. Even though the Cardinals are still in the playoff race, they should see what Bernal can do in the big leagues.