St. Louis Cardinals set to reunite with beloved backup catcher

There appeared to be no fairy tale ending in store for the St. Louis Cardinals' feel-good story of 2025 when the team declined to tender a contract to backup catcher Yohel Pozo. A fan favorite in St. Louis given his background and his enthusiasm on the diamond, Pozo was also popular with his teammates, as he received the Darryl Kile Award from fellow Cardinals.

Pozo excelled as a pinch-hitter for much of the season and performed decently as a backstop, especially with his framing, which landed in the 73rd percentile according to Baseball Savant. Although his offensive production took a nosedive later in the season as his free-swinging tendencies became a liability, he remained a steady presence behind the plate. Many fans were disappointed with the Cardinals' choice to non-tender Pozo, but they can rejoice, as the Cardinals just performed an about-face with the catcher.

The Cardinals are bringing Pozo back to the organization.

According to Derrick Goold of STLToday, the Cardinals are finalizing a deal to bring Pozo back into the fold. Goold had stated the Cardinals' interest in his return, likely to serve as organizational depth, and even with the glut of catchers in the Cardinals' system, Pozo may receive the call-up before anyone else should an injury strike Ivan Herrera or Pedro Pages.

Pozo could also see major league time if Herrera flops in his return to catching. Herrera's arm has been a massive liability during his time with St. Louis, and following an attempt at Driveline in the 2024-2025 offseason to improve his throwing, Herrera underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow following the 2025 season. If he continues to prove incapable of holding runners, the Cardinals may be forced to move Herrera back to a near full-time designated hitter role and perhaps play him in the outfield a bit, thus opening a spot for Pozo to slot behind Pages.

The re-signing of Pozo indicates that the Cardinals want to let Jimmy Crooks marinate in the minor leagues more before providing him extended looks at the highest level. The Cardinals are hopeful that Crooks can compete for a starting catcher job down the road, but he performed poorly in his time with the team late last season, hitting just .133 in 45 at-bats and owning a .397 OPS. The Cardinals also added catching prospect Leonardo Bernal to their 40-man roster to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, although he is unlikely to play in the major leagues in 2026.

If Herrera performs adequately behind the plate and he and Pages remain healthy all season, the Cardinals may not require Pozo's services to the extent that they did in 2025. But if he is called into service, Cardinals fans will be comfortable in knowing that they have a capable player swinging the bat and calling games.