The St. Louis Cardinals are dealing with a concerning injury before their game against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. This bitter news comes with the franchise on a three-game winning streak, catapulting them into the thick of the playoff race. The Cardinals sit at 40-35 and are tied for second place in the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Chicago Cubs lead the division right now by 5.5 games.

In addition, St. Louis is only half a game out of the last Wild Card spot, meaning this team will likely be a buyer at the trade deadline. But it will not be easy for the Cardinals to keep pace in an elite and deep National League with the latest news on catcher Ivan Herrera. The 25-year-old picked up an injury against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch lead baseball writer Derrick Goold provided an unfortunate update on social media.

“Ivan Herrera goes on IL with a hamstring tear. Details forthcoming. Thomas Saggese on the way to majors, Cardinals say.”

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Herrera was having a positive season through his 42 games of action. The Panama City native has a batting average of .320 with eight home runs and 36 RBI. While Herrera is considered a work in progress at catcher, he has some athletic upside that should allow him to gradually improve on defense as the year goes on. Unfortunately, Ivan will be out for the foreseeable future, meaning Pedro Pages will be heavily relied upon to develop more after a slow start.

The Cardinals' offense has largely been productive in 2025. This group ranks seventh overall in runs per game, taking on an overall balanced approach. On the other hand, the pitching has been a lot less reliable, both with the starting rotation and the bullpen. If the Cardinals want to make a legitimate run at a postseason berth, changes will need to be made to that unit before July 31. And as more news comes out about Herrera's injury, St. Louis might also have another position in desperate need of an upgrade.