Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis by the Cardinals on Thursday.
The backup catcher role behind Willson Contreras will likely come down to Andrew Knizner and Tres Barrera. Herrera, 22, went 2-for-18 (.111) in his first taste of MLB action last year.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Withdraws from WBC
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Herrera will remain in camp with the Cardinals instead of playing for Panama at the World Baseball Classic, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Herrera withdrew from the WBC on Saturday, and he'll now turn his focus on competing for the backup catcher spot behind Willson Contreras. Herrera went 2-for-18 with one RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts across 22 plate appearances in the majors last season. He also hit .274/.381/.402 with six home runs, six stolen bases and 34 RBI in 65 games with Triple-A Memphis. Andrew Knizner is more likely to open the season as the Cardinals' backup catcher, but Herrera will try to force the issue with a strong spring.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Sent down Monday
Rotowire
Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Herrera was called up Saturday to provide depth behind the dish, but he didn't appear in either of the last two games. While he'll remain on the taxi squad, the 22-year-old will lose his spot on the active roster after Yadier Molina (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Promoted from taxi squad
Rotowire
Herrera was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday.
With Yadier Molina traveling to Puerto Rico to handle personal matters, Herrera will join the team from the taxi squad as short-term catching depth. Herrera has been used sparingly during his major-league stints this year and he's struggled in limited action, going 2-for-18 with eight strikeouts.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Heads back to minors
Rotowire
Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.
The 22-year-old joined the Cardinals for the two-game series against the Blue Jays this week and will now return to Triple-A. Herrera didn't appear in either contest for St. Louis and is unlikely to be a factor in the majors the rest of the year. He has a .295/.385/.432 slash line with three home runs and 21 RBI in 37 games for Memphis this season.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Returns to big leagues
Rotowire
Herrera was called up from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.
Herrera will make his return to the big leagues after joining the Cardinals for a 11-game stint earlier this summer. He'll replace Austin Romine on the active roster for the team's two-game series in Toronto. Herrera owns a .295 average with three homers, 21 RBI, 22 runs and two stolen bases over 139 at-bats over 37 games with Memphis this season. He'll look to improve upon the .111 average he produced over his first 11 career major-league contests.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Heads back to Triple-A
Rotowire
Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Herrera joined the big club for a second time in mid-June, but he picked up just two hits over 18 at-bats, so he will head back to the minors for the time being. Herrera is one of the Cardinals' better prospects, so he could get another shot with the big club before the campaign comes to a close, particularly if Yadier Molina (knee) continues to miss time.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Losing work to Knizner
Rotowire
Herrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
Herrera's run as the Cardinals' No. 1 catcher may have come to an end. He'll be on the bench for the third time in four games while Andrew Knizner picks up another start behind the dish.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Sitting again Friday
Rotowire
Herrera will sit Friday versus the Phillies, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
Herrera will sit for a second straight game after he made three straight starts and went 2-for-9. Andrew Knizner is starting at catcher and will bat ninth against the Phillies.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Not in Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Herrera isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Herrera started in the last three games and went 2-for-9 with two walks and three strikeouts. Andrew Knizner is taking over behind the dish and batting ninth Wednesday.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Receives second straight start
Rotowire
Herrera will start at catcher and bat ninth in Monday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Since Yadier Molina (knee) remains without a clear timeline to return from the injured list and with Andrew Knizner sitting on a lowly .525 OPS through 136 plate appearances on the season, the Cardinals may be ready to give Herrera glimpse as their primary catcher. The 22-year-old rookie will pick up his second straight start after going 2-for-3 with a walk in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Cubs. Prior to being called up from the minors following Molina's placement on the IL, Herrera showcased a dash of pop (.145 ISO) and strong plate discipline (12.7 percent walk rate, 14.7 percent strikeout rate) over his 129 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: First major-league hit
Rotowire
Herrera went 2-for-3 with a walk in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Cubs on Sunday.
The rookie catcher picked up his first major-league hit with a single off Alec Mills in the second inning. He later walked and singled again to make it a two-hit game. The Cardinals recalled the backstop from Triple-A Memphis on Friday when Yadier Molina was sidelined with knee inflammation. Herrera and Andrew Knizner are both in the mix for at-bats while Molina is out, and it is worth monitoring if either one of them can make a statement with the newfound opportunity.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Set to rejoin major-league club
Rotowire
Herrera will be recalled by the Cardinals on Friday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Herrera spent a few days with the Cardinals in late May, and he'll rejoin the big-league club as a backup to Andrew Knizner since the team will place Yadier Molina (knee) on the 10-day injured list Friday. After failing to make any plate appearances during his first stint with the major-league club, Herrera should have more chances to prove himself at the top level while Molina is sidelined.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Herrera was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.
Herrera received his first taste of the big leagues this week with Yadier Molina (personal) on the bereavement list, though he didn't actually make his MLB debut. Molina is back on the active roster Thursday, prompting Herrera's return to Triple-A.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Joins big club
Rotowire
The Cardinals recalled Herrera from Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Herrera is expected to be in store for a short-term stay with the Cardinals, as fellow backstop Yadier Molina (personal) will be away from the team for 3-to-7 days after being placed on the bereavement list. While Molina is inactive, Herrera will serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Andrew Knizner. Herrera, 21, is slashing .310/.405/.493 over 84 plate appearances with Memphis this season.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Promoted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Herrera was promoted to Triple-A Memphis on Monday.
Herrera posted a lackluster .231 batting average across 98 games at Double-A Springfield this year, but he recorded hits in each of his last seven appearances and hit .382 with two home runs, two doubles, seven runs and seven RBI during that time. Since the Double-A season has concluded, he'll now appear in game action for a few more weeks in Memphis.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Mostly scuffling at Double-A
Rotowire
Herrera owns a .216/.346/.345 slash line with six doubles, eight home runs, 41 RBI, and 30 runs across 65 games with Double-A Springfield.
Herrera did belt two homers and drive in five runs as part of a big 3-for-5 night versus Arkansas on Wednesday, but as his cited numbers suggest, performances of that caliber have been few and far between. The 21-year-old has proven to be a capable bat at every prior stop in the organization, however, so there's still reason to believe he can pick up his production before the end of the minor-league season. On the brighter side, Herrera's eight round trippers tie his career-best figure from 2019 at Low-A Peoria, while his 16.3 percent walk rate is a new high-water mark.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Sent to alternate camp
Rotowire
The Cardinals assigned Herrera to their alternate training site in Springfield on Thursday.
St. Louis appears content to proceed with veterans Yadier Molina and Matt Wieters as its main catching options on the Opening Day roster, and prospect Andrew Knizner is probably the next man up in the event the Cardinals elect to bring a third backstop aboard. As a result, Herrera finds himself somewhat buried on the organizational depth chart, though the 20-year-old could be a potential successor to Molina down the road. Herrera split time between High-A Palm Beach and Low-A Peoria in 2019, slashing .284/.374/.405 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 87 games.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Will be on taxi squad
Rotowire
Herrera will be a part of the Cardinals' taxi squad this season, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.
Herrera was a part of major-league camp during spring training this year, where he went 2-for-9 over five games before play was suspended. While the 20-year-old is likely viewed as the Cardinals' catcher of the future within the organization, it's unlikely that he'll see significant playing time in the majors this season given his lack of experience above High-A.
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Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Big expectations for future
Rotowire
Herrera, who hit .222 (2-for-9) across five Grapefruit League games before spring training was suspended, was earmarked for a return to Double-A Springfield at some point in 2020 as the primary catcher, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera won't even turn 20 until June 1, but he's already made a relatively efficient climb up the organizational ladder in his two years of professional ball. Herrera actually logged five plate appearances and two games in Springfield back in 2018, making an experimental jump all the way up from Rookie-level Gulfport. The promising prospect then put in strong stints at both Low-A Peoria and High-A Palm Beach last year, and he generated a .324 average and .821 OPS across 10 contests in the Arizona Fall League as the youngest catcher to receive an invite. Herrera's defensive work is also starting to come along, and despite the presence of Andrew Knizner at Triple-A Memphis, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the team sees Herrera as the heir apparent to Yadier Molina and Knizner more as a potential backup both behind the dish and at first base.
