Massive piece to Cardinals' long-term success adding more tools to his belt

St. Louis Cardinals players are working out all across the newly renovated, almost finished Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, and the energy surrounding camp is positive from both the team and fan perspectives, despite the impending rebuild.

Much of that fan energy specifically will be pointed towards Ivan Herrera, who is hoping to spend the 2026 season in full health and make good on MLB Network's Top 100 Players ranking. That value will come from his ability to bounce back after a 2025 season full of nagging injuries, defensive question marks, and one that ended with him going under the knife to address an arm issue that impacted his throwing.

Ivan Herrera is taking reps all over the diamond early in Cardinals' Spring Training

As is customary during the spring season, fans and media speculate what every little thing coming out of camp means for the roster. We always need to remember, just because a prospect is in the first hitting group, that does not necessarily mean that player is set for the big league roster and it could truly just be a scheduling outcome. However, one thing that will be a story all spring and is not, to me, considered an overreaction is Herrera's defensive ability. The team has been adamant on keeping him behind the plate as the primary catcher, but with his injury history and throwing concerns, a move out of the gear might be on the table for Herrera in the future.

For this season, I believe it makes the most sense value-wise for Herrera to work out behind the plate. His bat has Silver Slugger potential pretty much anywhere on the field, but as a catcher, he would be in contention for the best-hitting backstop in the league. The issue is that he does nothing to help the team in any regard if he cannot stay on the field. The thought from some fans is that moving him from catcher will prolong the opportunity for Herrera to do what he does best, and that is to hit. But I also think that is discounting some of Herrera's talent. For one, he is just 25 years old and, even though he is a primary catcher, he is extremely athletic as demonstrated by his 13 career stolen bases despite being injured multiple times with lower-body maladies.

Interestingly, those leg injuries have not been connected specifically to catching, as his longest injury of the year was actually sustained while running the bases. Even while he was rehabbing, the team downplayed the cause of the hammy issue and had him working out in the field, despite returning to play the final games of the season as a DH only. Since the end of the regular season, though, the plan has always been for Herrera to return behind the plate after having the little procedure to clean up some arm pain.

While catching has always been the plan, the Cardinals know that they must have a contingency in place in case Herrera's arm does not bounce back like they want or if he continues to get beaten up and injured. Understanding that, the Cardinals seemingly have started to push Herrera to other positions, although this year is likely catcher or DH and any full-time position switch would start next year. Jacob Cersosimo posted a video on Twitter of Herrera during defensive work, but while the other catchers were working on drills behind the plate, Herrera was elsewhere on the field.

In the video, Herrera is seen tracking flyballs and working on footwork in the outfield. Even more strange, it looks like the catcher, turned outfielder, is also wearing a first baseman's glove. The fact that he even has one may tell the fans that he has started to at least work out at first and could potentially add that to his list of positions. If he is able to handle multiple positions in addition to catcher, this frees up the Cardinals to adjust their lineup in different ways, while also sorting through their personnel at the major and minor league levels.

Regardless of where he plays, the bat remains most important.