Feb 24, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) scores against the New York Mets during the second inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals entered this season intending to begin their rebuild. Entering Sunday’s doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals were 4-3, and catcher Ivan Herrera looked like a star. Last week, the Cardinals catcher hit three home runs in one game, showing promise behind home plate. But in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader, Herrera exited with a left knee injury after running on the base paths.

After the game, manager Oli Marmol said that Herrera’s initial tests came back clean. But a stint on the injured list felt inevitable. Now, Cardinals fans know how long the catcher will be sidelined for.

Marmol revealed on Monday, via MLB.com’s John Denton, that Herrera was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee after undergoing more testing. With that, Herrera will be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks.

As for who would replace Herrera behind home plate, Marmol has ruled out Willson Contreras, the player the Cardinals gave a five-year $87.5 million contract to, to play catcher.

#STLCards catcher Iván Herrera has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee following more testing today in St. Louis. He will miss a minimum of four weeks, manager Oliver Marmol said.

Willson Contreras is not a candidate to return behind the plate, Marmol added.

— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) April 7, 2025

Cardinals’ Willson Contreras contract comes back to haunt team again with Ivan Herrera injury

Losing Herrera for around a month is brutal for the Cardinals, as he leads the team with four home runs and 11 RBI so far this season. Now, they’re not even considering Contreras while Herrera is out, due in part to his lack of production since arriving in St. Louis. It goes to show how poorly that contract aged.

Looking to replace the retiring Yadier Molina after the 2022 season, the Cardinals prioritized signing Contreras away from the rival Chicago Cubs. On paper, Contreras was the best possible fit for a team looking to replace a future Hall of Famer. The thing is, Contreras hasn’t lived up to his end of the deal.

Not even at the halfway point of his first year with the team, Contreras was moved out of the starting catcher position due to poor play. Not to mention, he dealt with a variety of injuries since arriving, most notably a fractured forearm suffered last season.

This offseason, team president John Mozeliak revealed that after two years, the Cardinals were moving Contreras to first base permanently, replacing Paul Goldschmidt, who is now on the New York Yankees. So far this season, Contreras is batting .114 with an OPS of .355 and 16 strikeouts in 35 at-bats. So, it’s not like he would have replicated what Herrera was doing in the batter’s box. It stings even more so for the Cardinals that they can’t give another option reps at first base.

As for who will fill in for Herrera for the next four weeks, the only catcher on their depth chart is Pedro Pagés, who is slashing .316/.316/.632 through seven games. Not to mention, the Cardinals called up Yohel Pozo from Triple-A Memphis, who is batting .333 with two home runs and six RBI in five games.

The options to replace Herrera’s production are slim. What makes the injury even worse is the fact that Contreras isn’t even viewed as a feasible option due to his defensive play since arriving in St. Louis, and his lack of production in the batter’s box this year.