Cardinals reveal massive development regarding Ivan Herrera's future

The St. Louis Cardinals' "runway" season in 2025 was all about getting definitive answers on all of their players dotted with question marks. Could Jordan Walker emerge as a rising star? Could Lars Nootbaar remain healthy and live up to what his Statcast page suggested? Could Matthew Liberatore and Andre Pallante put themselves into the Cardinals' future rotation plans? The Cardinals have found some semblance of answers to all of these questions as the 2025 season draws to a close.

One question that appeared answered early was whether Ivan Herrera could remain a catcher for the Cardinals. In 2024, controlling the running game was a massive struggle for Herrera, as he caught only four basestealers in 59 attempts against him. After he underwent a throwing program at Driveline in the offseason, fans were hopeful that he could improve his arm strength and stay behind the plate. Unfortunately, it didn't pay dividends, as he failed to catch a single runner in 15 attempts this year. The Cardinals yanked him out from behind the plate in June, using him mostly as a designated hitter and placing him in the outfield on occasion. It appeared that Herrera's catching days were behind him.

The Cardinals plan to put Herrera behind the plate again in 2026.

Herrera has been vocal about wanting to remain a catcher for the Cardinals, and it appears the team is going to grant his wish come 2026, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat.

The Cardinals' decision is a curious one. Placing Herrera behind the plate again is likely to increase his risk of injury, and he's already dealt with plenty of other bumps and bruises this year, including an unspecified shoulder injury that may have hampered his throwing ability. Herrera has been one of the Cardinals best hitters this year, owning a .280 average and an .816 OPS, and removing him from such a physically taxing position seems like the logical choice to optimize his offensive output while keeping him on the field.

Manager Oli Marmol also mentioned Herrera's desire to improve his game-calling, and he said that he and the Cardinals are driven to helping Herrera progress in every facet of being a catcher. Where that will be is less clear, as the Cardinals' usual winter training facilities in Jupiter, Florida, will be under construction over the offseason.

The Cardinals' abundance of catching depth is another reason that placing Herrera back in the harness is odd. The team already has Pedro Pages, Yohel Pozo and Jimmy Crooks on the 40-man roster and under team control for 2026, and they're likely interested in adding Leonardo Bernal to the 40-man roster in the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. If Herrera takes to catching, the Cardinals may pursue a trade, unloading some of their young catching talent for sorely needed pitching prospects.

It was recently announced that the Cardinals are expected to undergo a full-fledged rebuild next year, so with winning not a priority, the Cardinals figure they have nothing to lose by seeing if the offensively talented 25-year-old can develop into a satisfactory option at one of the game's most valuable positions.