Ivan Herrera's Role May Be Expanding for Cardinals

While Alec Burleson is the starter at first base, this is something that the Cardinals could revisit at some point down the line. It's clear that they value Herrera's bat and want him in the lineup everyday. However, his struggles behind the plate with throwing runners out raises questions about where he could end up in the future.

The obvious solution is to make him the full-time designated hitter, but they could also add a little first base to his repertoire. In the future, perhaps Burleson will need a day to get off his feet. In that case, St. Louis could use him as the designated hitter and have Herrera as an option to play first, while they stick with their better defensive options in Jimmy Crooks and Pedro Pages, and also clear the way for prospects Leonardo Bernal and Rainiel Rodriguez.

With Willson Contreras gone, first base was open for Burleson, but there's also always a chance that Burleson could be used in the outfield. If that ever happens, having Herrera as a fallback option at first base would be wise. It's certainly something that St. Louis could explore.

If anything though, they have at least potentially found a way to make Herrera an even more useful player. A right-handed hitting option at first base certainly can't hurt.

Had the Cardinals traded Burleson at the deadline, they could have potentially turned to Herrera as the primary first baseman in his absence. But they do have some options for the future if they ever want to go a different direction.

The Cardinals will hopefully not have to make such drastic changes defensively on Wednesday and be able to produce a better result on the field than what took place on Tuesday.