Cardinals Dealt Major Blow ahead of Pivotal Reds Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By True Deck | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 5:20 PM ET

Catcher Ivan Herrera has been placed on the 10-day injury list by the St. Louis Cardinals due to a hamstring tear. As a result, Thomas Saggese is getting the call up to the major leagues ahead of the Cardinals series against the Cincinnati Reds.

It’s a significant setback for St. Louis, as Herrera had emerged as the team’s most dangerous power threat in the middle of the lineup. Through 171 plate appearances, he was hitting .320 with a .392 on-base percentage and .533 slugging, tallying eight home runs, 36 RBI, 22 runs and one stolen base. This marks his second stint on the injured list in 2025, having already missed time earlier in the season due to a knee issue.

Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo are expected to handle the catcher duties while Herrera is on IL. This could most likely domino effect into Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson seeing more time at designated hitter.

The Cardinals recalled Saggese from Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

During Masyn Winn’s absence in April, the 23-year-old spent most of the month with St. Louis and impressed at the plate, batting .341 with a .364 OBP and .512 slugging percentage, including one home run over 14 games. Despite the strong showing, limited opportunities forced him back to Triple-A Memphis, where he’s maintained an .836 OPS across 185 plate appearances. With Ivan Herrera hitting the injured list Friday due to a hamstring issue, Saggese may now get a more consistent look in the lineup as the Cardinals aim to keep his bat active.

Ivan Herrera goes on IL with a hamstring tear. Details forthcoming.

Thomas Saggese on the way to majors, Cardinals say.
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) June 20, 2025

Prior to a sweep against the Chicago White Sox, the Cardinals had won one of their past eight. St. Louis is currently tied in second place with the Milwaukee Brewers behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.

With Ivan Herrera out due to a torn hamstring, the Cardinals called up Thomas Saggese from Triple-A. Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo will handle catching duties, while the move could give Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson more time at DH. Saggese, who hit well during an earlier call-up, may now get more regular at-bats as St. Louis tries to stay in the NL Central race.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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