Pedro Pagés Avoids Injury Scare for Cardinals

Apr 17, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) runs to first base on a hit during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Pedro Pagés Avoids Injury Scare for Cardinals

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Apr 27, 2026 6:00 PM ET

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It doesn't sound like the St. Louis Cardinals are making a change at catcher right now.

Pedro Pagés was forced to exit the Cardinals' contest on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners due to tightness in his left hamstring. With Pagés being removed from the contest, the chatter immediately shifted to whether Jimmy Crooks could be an option to come in and replace him if he missed time. Crooks wasn't in the lineup for Triple-A Memphis as a precaution.

While this is the case, Crooks has not been promoted as the club got more testing on Pagés' hamstring. On Sunday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Pagés' imaging "came back clear" with no damage to his hamstring.

The Cardinals Catcher Avoided Any Serious Injury

Erik Williams-Imagn Images

"Pedro Pagés said his imaging came back clear yesterday, no damage to his hamstring. Took a foul ball off it in Miami that caused some swelling and the same area tightened up yesterday. He thinks he’ll be back in the lineup [Monday]," Jones wrote.

Pagés wasn't wrong. The Cardinals announced their lineup for Monday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pagés was back in the mix.

Series opener in the 'Burgh pic.twitter.com/AQxIjyHOil
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 27, 2026

So, there you have it, Pagés avoided anything negative and is already scheduled to return to the lineup on Monday night.

If you're in the cohort of Cardinals fans hoping that Crooks is promoted in the near future, that isn't happening yet. Pagés has started to turn things around offensively in general. Over his last seven games, he slashed .333/.370/.500 with an .870 OPS, one homer and four RBIs.

Crooks has been electric down in Triple-A. The 24-year-old has slashed .270/.400/.608 with a 1.008 OPS. He also has launched eight homers, driven in 17 runs, and has walked 14 times.

His performance down in Triple-A has been good enough to warrant the discussion, but Pagés has started to find his footing himself with the big league club and is alright, despite the injury scare. At this point, don't expect to see any significant changes for the club in the short term. At some point, Crooks will be an option for St. Louis in the majors. He's young and the club needs to find out if he can be a long-term answer for the team behind the plate. But right now, the club is still sticking with a trio of Pagés, Iván Herrera and Yohel Pozo.

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

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