Ivan Herrera entered the 2026 season looking like part of the Cardinals’ core. He was coming off a big year - a 137 wRC+ with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs - and, at 26, he was working back to health with the idea that he could take on a more regular catching role.
Six months later, the picture looks a lot different.
Herrera’s production has slid hard this season. He’s sitting on a .242/.355/.374 slash line, all of them down from where he was after becoming a full-time player in 2024. His walk rate has ticked up, but the overall bat has gone the wrong way, and his batting average has fallen 60 points from its 2024 peak.
The health part, at least, has held up. Herrera has caught in 51 games and appeared in all but a few of the Cardinals’ games this season.
But staying on the field hasn’t translated into the kind of impact the Cardinals were expecting. He’s at just 1.3 fWAR, well below his career-best 2.7 fWAR from last year.
That gap is why his long-term fit in St. Louis is now a real question.
Leonardo Bernal has pushed the issue. The rookie debuted in September and hasn’t slowed down since, hitting .317/.358/.508 with three homers and 15 RBIs in only 16 games. He also set a record last week for the most RBIs by a rookie in his first 10 games, and he’s already joined several other Cardinals greats in the early stretch of his big-league career.
Bernal has already caught 14 games this year, and he looks like the likely starting catcher for the Cardinals heading into 2027.
That development, combined with Herrera’s regression on both sides of the ball this season, has left Herrera’s future role unsettled.
For now, Herrera appears headed back into the primary DH spot next year, with some catching mixed in. But even that space may not stay open for long. The Cardinals have a wave of young power bats moving quickly through the system, especially Rainiel Rodriguez and Jesus Baez, both of whom are at Double-A Springfield.
Rodriguez put up a .328/.408/.591 line with 23 home runs and a 151 wRC+ in Double-A. He also had one of the best months of September by any prospect in MiLB and was named the Cardinals minor-league player of the month.
Baez finished his time with Springfield at .316/.354/.679 with 25 home runs, and he finished the year with 41 total homers including the postseason. Both players are on a fast track to the majors by this time next year. Baez is likely to land at shortstop or third base, while Rodriguez could get a look as the club’s DH in late 2027.
First base is another possible path for Herrera, but Alec Burleson is already there and has the spot locked down for now.
So while Herrera still looks penciled in for 2027, the long view has changed fast. The Cardinals once seemed to view him as a fixture. Now, with Bernal rising and more young hitters closing in, Herrera may be fighting just to hold onto a regular role.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Will Never Forget What This Scary MLB Injury Brought Back
A scary scene in Chicago on Tuesday quickly turned into a reminder that baseball injuries can linger in a fan bases memory long after the original moment fades. Alex Bregman, the Cubs starting third baseman, was struck near the left eye by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck circle, and the early prognosis remains unclear. There was at least one small break in the bad luck, though, as the ball bounced before it reached him, which may have lessened the force of the impact.
For Cardinals fans, the sight likely stirred thoughts of Juan Encarnacin, whose 2007 injury remains one of the most jarring moments in recent team history. That incident ended his career and still stands as a sobering example of how quickly a routine baseball play can turn dangerous. Bregmans situation is still developing, but the resemblance is hard for St. Louis followers to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Are Starting To Feel Better About That Brendan Donovan Trade
When the Cardinals moved Brendan Donovan in a three-team deal with Seattle, the return was always going to be judged over time, not in the moment. St. Louis came away with Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and two draft picks, giving the organization a package built around upside and future value rather than a single established big leaguer.
Tai Peete has given the deal some early life at Double-A Springfield, where he has been one of the more encouraging performers in the Texas League Championship Series, including a five-hit game. Meanwhile, Donovan has been limited to just 39 games for the Mariners this season because of injuries, which has only sharpened the spotlight on what the Cardinals got back and whether the swap may end up looking better for St. Louis than it did when it was made. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Enter Offseason With 3 Roster Calls That Could Get Ruthless
The Cardinals are heading into the offseason with a familiar sense of progress mixed with unfinished business, and Chaim Blooms first real roster squeeze is shaping up to be an important one. After a 2026 season that pointed the organization in the right direction, St. Louis still has clear needs to address, especially in the starting rotation, the bullpen and at third base, where the current mix may not be enough for the club to take the next step.
That puts some established names in a precarious spot as the front office weighs fit as much as familiarity. Nolan Gorman, Jos Pags and Ryan Stanek are among the players whose futures could come into question as the Cardinals sort through what needs to stay, what needs to go and where the roster needs to get tougher. [Read more 🡒]