Cardinals Veteran Just Waiting to Be Replaced by Jimmy Crooks

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have to make a decision at catcher at some point.

Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Yohel Pozo (63) leaves the dugout after a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

One position group to watch for the St. Louis Cardinals throughout the 2026 season is going to be catcher.

Right now, the Cardinals are carrying three catchers on the big league roster in Pedro Pagés, Iván Herrera, and Yohel Pozo. The Cardinals made it clear throughout Spring Training that they were going to give Herrera a chance to show that he can be a catcher of the future for the organization. On top of Herrera, the Cardinals opted to carry both Pagés and Pozo on the big league roster as well while sending No. 8 prospect Jimmy Crooks down to the minors.

Crooks had a cup of coffee in the majors in 2025, but is down in Triple-A right now.

On Wednesday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat shared on X that the current plan for St. Louis is to "primarily" roll with Pagés and Herrera behind the plate with Pozo more as a right-handed bench bat and backup first baseman at this time.

The Cardinals veteran certainly is someone to watch this season

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo (63) walks on the field during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

"[Oli Marmol] said this morning that the Cardinals will primarily split up the catching between Pagés and Herrera for the time being with Pozo more in the mix as a bench bat and the RH backup at first. He is, for the moment, in the lineup he has sketched out for the first day in Detroit," Jones wrote.

Pozo was very good in camp and earned his job on the big league roster. But Crooks' time is coming and soon enough he's going to make it very difficult for St. Louis to keep him down in the minors. So far this season, he has played in three games in Triple-A and is slashing .364/.462/.909 with two homers, four RBIs, two walks, four runs and a 1.371 OPS.

Crooks played in just 15 games in the majors in 2025 but the Cardinals are going to have to give him a shot at some point. Leo Bernal is another elite catcher prospect on the big league doorstep. Rainiel Rodriguez's time will come as well. At the end of the day, there is so much catching talent that everyone isn't going to get the opportunity they likely should.

Right now, Crooks is down in the minors and and Pozo is up in the big leagues. But if Crooks can continue to play like he has to begin the season, he's going to make a compelling case for those two roles to shift.