Cardinals News: Ivan Herrera, Royel Strop minor league cycle, and Indy ball signing

While the St. Louis Cardinals have been seesawing between winning and losing streaks lately, several noteworthy news stories have gone under the radar. Here's a roundup of some important events over the last week for the organization.

Ivan Herrera will play for Team Panama in the World Baseball Classic.

The World Baseball Classic is just a few months away, and several players have already expressed interest or confirmed their presence for various countries.

Earlier this year, St. Louis Cardinals' first baseman Willson Contreras confirmed that he will play for Team Venezuela in the international tournament come March. This will be Contreras's first shot at the World Baseball Classic. "Representing your country. It means a lot. I’ve been wanting to play for the last two of them," said Contreras. "If I get an invite and they want me there, I'll be there."

One of Contreras's teammates on the Cardinals will become his enemy on the diamond for a few fleeting weeks.

Catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera recently stated that he wants to play for Team Panama in the World Baseball Classic. Reporter Alfre Alvarez posted a video of Ivan Herrera at Loan Depot Park stating that he will represent his home country in the World Baseball Classic. Herrera recalled his two home runs in the Caribbean Series in 2024 when speaking about his excitement to play on that type of stage once more.

Herrera is one of the Cardinals' best hitters this year, slashing .289/.366/.440 this year with 10 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He could be Panama's starting catcher, as Christian Bethancourt and Carlos Sanchez were the team's lone backstops in 2023.

Royel Strop, son of former major leaguer Pedro Strop, hit for the cycle in the DSL's final game of the regular season.

The St. Louis Cardinals signed Royel Strop as an international free agent early in 2025. Royel, who is still a teenager, is the son of former major-league pitcher Pedro Strop of the Chicago Cubs.

On August 19th, in the DSL Cardinals' final regular season game of the year, Royel Strop hit for the cycle. Strop's home run on the night, the first of his professional career, was a grand slam. He went 4-6 on the night with eight RBIs en route to a 19-2 win for the Cardinals.

Cardinals sign outfielder Andrew Sojka out of the Frontier League in Independent Ball.

Baseball players who play in Independent Leagues such as the Atlantic League and the Frontier League yearn for a taste at professional baseball, even at the lowest level of the minors. Former collegiate athletes who attended Division-II or Division-III schools or others who didn't get drafted as high as they wanted fight in Indy ball to eventually make it to professional leagues.

For Andrew Sojka, that dream has become reality.

The St. Louis Cardinals purchased the contract of Sojka on August 11th. Sojka, who attended California State University, Northridge in Los Angeles, California, was never drafted after his collegiate career. Sojka has played independent ball for the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League for the last two seasons.

Sojka slashed .312/.418/.588 for the Boomers this year across 333 plate appearances. He slugged 17 home runs, drove in 65 runners, and stole 23 bags in only 70 games. He was assigned to High-A Peoria right off the bat, and he's fared decently for the Chiefs so far.

Through only five games with Peoria, Sojka has logged five hits, including two doubles. He's walked and struck out once, and he has a .770 OPS to go along with a .278 batting average.

Sojka bats from the left side, and he'll provide solid minor-league depth for the Cardinals. He has a long way to go to making his major-league debut, but the fact that he was able to turn an Indy ball assignment into a professional debut is admirable.