Sep 13, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Iván Herrera's Surgery Will Complicate Cardinals' 2026 Plans

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 2:45 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have so many decisions to make this upcoming offseason and now it seems like one of the team's positions are going to get even more complicated.

For the Cardinals, the catcher position has a lot of questions. That's because there have been four guys in the majors this season at the same time in Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, Yohel Pozo, and No. 6 prospect Jimmy Crooks. What has made it easier for the club to make decisions is the fact that Herrera hasn't been catching. But, the club still has the other three plus two other elite prospects near the big leagues.

All in all, there are a lot of decisions to make at catcher and what will make it more complicated is the fact that the club is planning for Herrera to have offseason surgery in order to be ready to catch in 2026. Jim Hayes of FanDuel Sports Network shard the news and Jeff Jones of Belleville News-Democrat also confirmed it.

The St. Louis Cardinals will have decisions at catcher

Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

"Ivan Herrera plans to have elbow surgery after the season to prepare to return to catching duties," Hayes said. "He says he’s had an elbow issue for a couple of seasons, that prevented him from getting his arm in the proper position to make throws to second base."

"As Jim Hayes just tweeted, Iván Herrera is planning to have surgery to have loose bodies removed from his right elbow at the conclusion of the season," Jones said. That is part of what they believe has contributed to his throwing struggles. He expects to be full go for spring...How that fits in his winter work is TBD, but the program the team designed for him was created with knowledge of the pending surgery and with plans to work it into his winter assignments."

If he's ready to go as a catcher in 2026, where does that leave the other three on St. Louis' roster? There's an argument that a tandem of Herrera and Crooks should be the way to go, but it's too early to know.

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

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