Cardinals Announce Iván Herrera News Prior to Series Finale Against Braves

Herrera hasn’t appeared in the lineup since June 19 when he strained his hamstring rounding first base after a hit in the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Prior to the injury, the 25-year-old was in the midst of a breakout campaign, slashing .320/.392/.533 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs.

The Panama native began a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Memphis. Notably, he didn’t see any time behind the plate, and that may remain the case for the foreseeable future. The Cardinals have indicated they plan to try and keep Herrera out of catching duties for most of the remainder of the season to protect his health and keep his bat in the lineup.

“We have to definitely keep that in mind if we want to keep him healthy for the remaining couple of months,” manager Oli Marmol said before the assignment. “We’ve talked about that. We haven’t come up with, like, 'This is exactly what it will look like,' but we’re pretty close to [not catching].”

With Herrera returning to the No. 2 spot in the order, shortstop Masyn Winn, who had settled into that role in recent weeks, has been bumped down to sixth in the lineup.

As the Cardinals continue their push for a National League Wild Card spot, entering Sunday's MLB play 2.5 games out, they’ll hope Herrera can stay healthy and provide his much-needed offensive spark down the stretch.