Aug 31, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) catches a pop up hit by Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (not pictured) in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Cardinals Insider Sets Record Straight On Catcher Situation

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals earned a hard-fought 2-1 win on Tuesday night over the Athletics to improve their record on the season to 69-71 with 22 games left in the regular season.

With St. Louis 6 1/2-games out of a National League Wild Card spot, it's a pretty safe bet that the club is not going to end up making the playoffs this season. If they can capture lightning in a bottle, maybe something shocking could happen. But, the most likely option right now is that the Cardinals miss the cut.

But, there is a real argument that these next 22 games are going to be important. The Cardinals can't just sit back and put it in autopilot until 2026. These next 22 games are going to be important to evaluate and see who returns next year. One area of the organization to keep an eye on is at catcher right now.

The Cardinals have a question on their hands at catcher

Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cardinals recently called up No. 6 prospect Jimmy Crooks to go along with Pedro Pagés, Yohel Pozo, and technically Iván Herrera, although he hasn't been catching in a while. Pozo is on the Injured List right now, too. But, with Crooks up, this is a chance to see someone who could impact this team beyond 2025. So, what are the Cardinals looking for? The Athletic's Katie Woo shed some light on the catcher situation.

"They won't necessarily be everyday starters," Woo said. "Manager Oli Marmol will not commit to clear-cut playing time in Jimmy Crooks' with Pedro Pagés, who is still expected to see a considerable amount of reps. He's had a good August. By far, his most impressive offensive month of the season. But, that doesn't mean that the Cardinals don't want to see more of Jimmy Crooks.

"We talked to Oli Marmol on Friday, the visiting reporters in Cincinnati and said the biggest thing for Jimmy, who, could be a big piece for this club's future is the organization just wants to see where he's at. They want to see, in Crooks' case, how does he gameplan a game? How does he deviate from it? How does he commit to it? When does he make a call to change things up and adapt in the game? How does he recover? Things like that. Things you can't really evaluate from a player in Triple-A."

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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