The St. Louis Cardinals seem to have hit their first major bump in the road this season. As they head home to take on the Chicago Cubs this weekend, they have lost four games in a row and fallen to third place in the National League Central.
They are 4 1/2 games out of first place and a half-game back in the wild card race, so now isn’t the time to panic, but the Cardinals had been playing better than expected, and now are struggling to end the month of May.
On Friday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News Democrat reported some changes with the roster, which includes the promotion of catcher Jimmy Crooks.
“Big moving day at Busch,” Jones posted on X. Jimmy Crooks recalled and Nelson Velazquez selected. (Yohel) Pozo and (Cesar) Prieto optioned.
Pozo and Prieto optioned
Cardinals Promote Young Catcher Amid Losing Streak
Crooks made his Major League debut late last season and struggled at the plate. He was actually the final out in the last game of the regular season against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
However, at Triple-A Memphis, Crooks is hitting quite well, slashing .262/.412/.567 with 13 home runs, 29 RBI and a .979 OPS.
The Cardinals offense has been a little cold as of late, as they scored just two runs while being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field this week. But Crooks could potentially provide a little jolt for the lineup, depending on what the Cardinals do with their catching situation.
They do have a lot of catchers in their system. Down in the farm, they have Rainiel Rodriguez and Leonardo Bernal, their No. 2 and No. 5 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, respectively.
Pozo was serving as the team’s backup catcher. Though he has had some clutch hits off the bench, he is hitting .242 with just five RBI and a .515 OPS in 33 at-bats. He also wasn’t getting many opportunities to play. Sending him down to Memphis will allow him to get regular at-bats and play every day as opposed to just sitting on the bench in the majors. There wasn’t exactly a way for the Cardinals to ensure that he received everyday at-bats and consistent playing time, so sending him down in favor of Crooks makes sense.
The Cardinals are also incredibly deep at the catcher position throughout the organization and need to give opportunities to the best options available as they navigate this rebuilding season and keep their focus on the future.
Cardinals’ Catching Situation Could Change
The Cardinals have been giving Pedro Pages most of the starts behind the plate and occasionally starting Ivan Herrera when he isn’t in the designated hitter spot.
Now with Crooks up in the major leagues, the Cardinals could reconfigure things a little bit. Crooks will likely receive most of the starts with Pages serving as the backup and Herrera occasionally getting some looks behind the plate.
But calling up Crooks and sending Pozo down gives them the chance to reset a little bit and try some new things over the next few games.
Cardinals Promote No. 7 Prospect, Option Yohel Pozo Amid Rough Stretch