Cardinals' Iván Herrera Reveals Painful Elbow Injury Details

The St. Louis Cardinals slugger opened up about his elbow injury.

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after hitting a single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals looked a bit different at catcher than expected in 2025.

Iván Herrera entered the season looking like he would be the team's No. 1 catcher after Willson Contreras moved over to first base. But Herrera only was able to make 14 appearances behind the plate due to injuries. He got the vast majority of his playing time as the team's designated hitter with Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo carrying the load. Then, No. 6 prospect Jimmy Crooks eventually was promoted to the big leagues and got an opportunity down the stretch.

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When Spring Training rolls around, Herrera is going to get another shot behind the plate after undergoing offseason surgery to correct an elbow injury. He had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow after the campaign came to a close with the hope of getting behind the plate in 2026. Herrera opened up about the elbow injury and noted that there was a point when he couldn’t straighten his arm because of the injury.

The Cardinals catcher should be better in 2026

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) celebrates a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"I basically couldn’t straighten my elbow, so it’s hard to throw that way,” Herrera said, as transcribed by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. “We talked to the doctors, and they said that once you lose an angle of 30 [degrees] in your arm, it’s so hard to throw the ball the right way.”

It certainly makes sense why he underwent surgery if he could even straighten his arm. Herrera was one of the team's best overall offensive players, despite the injury, in 2025. He slashed .284/.373/.464 with 19 homers, 66 RBIs, 13 doubles, and 54 runs scored in 107 games played.

Imagine what he could look like in 2026 with a healthy elbow and another year in the big leagues under his belt? He's just 25 years old. Whether he sticks at catcher in the long term or is moved to another position, getting him healthy for the 2026 season is a positive and should help the offense, at the very least.

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