The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing for a National League Central showdown with the Cincinnati Reds. Before their upcoming three-game series, St. Louis made multiple roster moves, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
“Can confirm @dgoold’s report: #STLCards are calling up Jimmy Crooks and Cesár Prieto from Memphis. One of the corresponding moves: Alec Burleson (wrist) will be placed on the 10 day IL,” Woo wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Woo later shared another post on the situation.
“Per sources: Corresponding moves for Crooks, Prieto are Burleson (IL) and Yohel Pozo (concussion).”
Crooks, the Cardinals' No. 6 overall prospect according to MLB.com, is set to join the big league squad. The 24-year-old catcher has a bright future in the league. Prieto, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old infielder who could make a big impact in St. Louis.
Pozo, 28, is a catcher/first baseman who is dealing with a concussion according to Woo. He has slashed .242/.273/.392 across 62 games at the MLB level so far in 2025.
As for Burleson, the versatile 26-year-old lands on the IL with a wrist injury. The move comes just days after Burleson hit a walk-off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's hit .286/.337/.451 up to this point in the '25 campaign.
It has been a difficult season for the Cardinals. St. Louis is fourth in the National League Central standings with a 66-69 record. The Cardinals are 17.0 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the division lead.
However, the Cardinals are still afloat in the National League Wild Card race. They are currently 6.5 games out of a Wild Card position. St. Louis will need to play well with just over a month of the regular season remaining.
The team will play the Reds in Cincinnati from Friday-Sunday in a three-game set. The Cardinals will then head back to St. Louis for a six-game homestand against the Athletics and San Francisco Giants.
