Iván Herrera Scratch Raises Questions for Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals slugger was scratched from the lineup this past weekend.

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

St. Louis Cardinals catcher/designated hitter Iván Herrera has shown unlimited upside offensively as a member of the organization over the last four seasons. But injuries have played a significant role in his young career to this point.

In 2025, he only caught 14 games. Most of his playing time came as the team's designated hitter as he dealt with knee and elbow injuries. He actually underwent offseason elbow surgery in order to try to put himself in the best position to get back behind the plate in 2026.

Spring Training is just a few weeks away from wrapping up and the Cardinals already have made an intriguing catcher decision and sent Jimmy Crooks down to minor league camp while sticking with Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo, for now. But, on the negative side, Herrera is banged up a bit. He was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup on Saturday and Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he was dealing with knee inflammation.

The Cardinals slugger is dealing with knee inflammation

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

"While Masyn Winn returned to shortstop after a sore arm kept him from appearing there in a game since Feb. 28, Iván Herrera was scratched from the Cardinals’ starting lineup Saturday because of inflammation in his knee," Guerrero wrote. "Herrera was scheduled to bat third as the designated hitter before the lineup swap.

"[Oli Marmol] said the Cardinals will have Herrera rest for the next 24 to 48 hours and will proceed from there after he is reevaluated."

The fact that Marmol noted that the Cardinals would be evaluating him in 24 to 48 hours is a good sign, but it's still something worth watching. When healthy, Herrera very well may be the Cardinals' best right-handed hitter overall. But the Cardinals have to find a way to keep him consistently healthy. That may not be behind the plate. This is something to evaluate early on in the season. When healthy, he's going to be massive for the organization. But it's only March and we're talking about knee inflammation. Hopefully, that is the extent of it for the young slugger.