While one highly regarded catcher at Triple-A Memphis makes progress in his return to the St. Louis Cardinals, another highly regarded Redbirds catcher with MLB aspirations has hit a few bumps along the path.
Ivan Herrera was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 7, a day after he suffered a bone bruise on his left knee while running the bases in the first game of a doubleheader at Boston. He began his Minor League rehab assignment with Memphis on May 1, and according to John Denton of MLB.com, Herrera will likely rejoin the Cardinals during their nine-game road trip that begins Friday in Washington.
Herrera’s return to the lineup, and the power that he provides, will be welcomed. Herrera posted a slash line of .381/.458/1.048 in his seven games prior to the injury, and after going 7-for-17 (.412) with a home run and three RBIs in the first five games of his rehab with Memphis, it appears he is ready to pick up where he left off.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Crooks, who was named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year in 2024 after a breakout season at Double-A Springfield, is still trying to adjust in the next step of his journey after an up-and-down first month at Triple-A.
The Cardinals’ No. 4 prospect, Crooks started off great, going 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs in the Redbirds’ season-opening loss to Louisville on March 28. But it’s been mostly a good day-bad-day roller coaster ride for the 23-year-old, who had a slash line of .229/.295/.396 heading into the team’s Wednesday game at Charlotte.
However, there is still plenty to like about the fourth-round pick from the 2022 draft. In a recent Baseball America podcast discussing the best catching prospects in 2025, Geoff Pontes and JJ Cooper highlighted Crooks as a player knocking on the door of the overall top 100 list.
“He does a lot of things well,” Pontes said.
“We got good feedback on him. The data that we got in terms of framing and some of the defensive numbers that we've seen through sources, he ranked really, really highly. Like, surprisingly highly.”
Lloyd, Fermin, Antico Enjoy Offensive Surges at Memphis
Elsewhere at Memphis, who at 19-13 entering Wednesday held a percentage-points lead over Nashville (20-14) for first place in the International League West Division, first baseman/outfielder Matt Lloyd has enjoyed a recent offensive surge for the Redbirds. The 29-year-old, who was released by the Reds and spent the 2023 season playing independent ball before joining Springfield in 2024, has gone 18-for-47 (.383) with three home runs and 15 RBIs over the past 13 games, and he is slashing .325/.430/.532 overall, with a team-high 23 RBIs.
Second baseman Jose Fermin is also riding a bit of a hot streak, having reached base in 18 consecutive games for Memphis. His batting average, which sat at .167 on April 12, now sits at .269 following an 11-for-25 (.440) surge over the past eight games.
Outfielder Mike Antico’s offensive numbers have also been on a steady climb. The 27-year-old left-handed swinger has gone 18-for-49 (.367) since April 12 and is slashing .328/.400/.410 overall.
On the mound, right-hander Andre Granillo has emerged as an interesting option out of the bullpen. Now in his fifth season with the Cardinals after getting selected in the 14th round of the 2021 draft, the 24-year-old has posted a 1.84 ERA in 14.2 innings over nine games for the Redbirds, allowing 12 hits and four walks while striking out 23.
Zack Weiss has been similarly impressive in relief for Memphis. The 32-year-old – who has 27.1 innings of MLB experience vs. 425.0 innings over 10-plus minor league seasons – has a 1.69 ERA in 10 appearances covering 16.0 innings with the Redbirds, with seven hits and seven walks while striking out 23.