The Cardinals recalled catcher Jimmy Crooks on May 29, 2026, and optioned Yohel Pozo to Triple-A Memphis, a move that changed the club’s catching mix the same day it added Nelson Velázquez to the roster. Crooks is now back in St. Louis after a strong run in Triple-A, while Pozo heads down after more than two months on the active roster.
The timing matters because the Cardinals had been carrying three catchers, with Iván Herrera also getting a regular turn as the designated hitter. That arrangement left little room for everyone to play, and Pozo was the odd man out after receiving just 33 plate appearances in over two months. He leaves with a.242/.242/.273 line on the year.
Crooks arrives with a.262/.412/.567 line at Triple-A this season, production that kept his name in the conversation even as the Cardinals managed his path carefully. He is viewed as one of the club’s best prospects, but there had not been much major league playing time available for him, which likely helped keep him down until now. The organization has been using Herrera, who is hitting.264/.390/.423, in a way that has blurred the line between catcher and designated hitter.
That is the friction inside the move: Crooks has forced the issue with his bat, but the Cardinals still have to find actual innings for him. If they do not, this can look less like an opportunity than a temporary shuffle, with the same playing-time squeeze waiting for the next catcher on the roster. For now, the recall says Crooks has earned a look; the unanswered part is whether the Cardinals will give him enough of one to matter.
