Huge blow to Cardinals' lineup as slugger hits IL, hot prospect recalled

This story has since been updated with the severity of Ivan Herrera's injury and the timetable for his return

In a move that came virtually out of nowhere this afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals just lost Ivan Herrera for the second time this season due to injury.

The club announced this afternoon that Herrera would be placed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain and is recalling INF Thomas Saggese to replace him on the active roster. While it's exciting to have Saggese back in the mix, this is a massive blow for a Cardinals team that has a huge stretch of games coming up over their next 10 days of action.

The Cardinals just lost Ivan Herrera ahead of the most critical stretch of games they'll have so far this season

Herrera shared with reporters today that his hamstring tear was Grade 2 in severity, and that he should expect it to take between two-to-six weeks for him to recover from the partial tear.

Fresh off a series sweep of the Chicago White Sox, the Cardinals are set to take on the Cincinnati Reds this weekend followed by a four-game set with the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs, and sitting just five games above .500, the Cardinals need a strong stretch of play here to keep their playoff hopes more than just a dream.

Ivan Herrera has been far and away the Cardinals' best hitter this year, slashing .320/.392/.533 with eight home runs and 36 RBI in just 42 games this year, posting a 160 wRC+ that ranks ninth in all of baseball among players with at least 150 plate appearances on the season.

Herrera has spent the majority of his games at DH this year, starting 66% of his games there, while Pedro Pages has handled the majority of the club's catching duties. This will provide ample opportunity for other bats on the Cardinals roster to see playing time, but the Cardinals lineup really can't afford to lose a bat like Herrera's right now.

Saggese, who has been tearing the cover off the baseball in Memphis as of late, gets another opportunity with the big league club after being hyper productive for them earlier this season. In 44 plate for St. Louis, Saggese has slashed .341/.364/.512, good for a 144 wRC+. It's unclear how often Saggese will be playing in Herrera's absence, but expect him to start against left-handed pitching and be a weapon off the bench late in games.

During the month of June down at Memphis, Saggese is slashing .420/.508/.540, good for a 1.048 OPS with one home run and 11 RBI in 59 plate appearances. Even when Herrera returns from the injured list, it is hard to imagine how the Cardinals could send him back to Memphis again, given how well he has played this year.