KANSAS CITY — When asked to describe some of the telling signs of what he feels with his swing when he is in a groove at the plate, Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera pointed to an indicator that is more mental than mechanical. And, as he noted, gives him an idea of what result he can produce each time he steps into the batter’s box.
“When your confidence is high, I feel like I put better swings on it,” Herrera said Friday. “I feel if I don’t trust myself enough to swing at every pitch, that’s mainly when I struggle. I would say just confidence. Having the confidence I’m going to get a hit every single at-bat. That’s how I feel right now. I feel like every time I go out there, I try to take a good at-bat and try to get ahead and it feels like I’m going to get a hit.”
In five games since coming off the IL following a bone bruise in his left knee that sidelined him for over a month, Herrera has produced seven hits in 18 at-bats while carrying the mentality he described. He entered his Friday start as the Cardinals designated hitter vs. the Royals at Kauffman Stadium with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs to his line.
People are also reading…
5 dead, church belltower collapses, buildings destroyed in St. Louis storm: Recap
Post Malone, Jelly Roll deliver nearly 5-hour concert that shines and sags at Busch
St. Louis storm declared a tornado. Zoo butterfly dome damaged: Recap
St. Louis storms cause ‘devastating’ damage, with 5 killed and many buildings toppled
St. Charles County pitches $131M plan to overhaul highway in ‘fastest growing area’
St. Louis sheriff already bought golf carts. ‘Oh my God,’ alderman says
St. Louis sheriff wants golf carts. Alderman asks why on earth he would need them.
Old stone mansion in Maryland Heights to be torn down for senior homes
Could Incarnate Word leave north St. Louis County? School leaders are thinking about it.
Christopher ‘Kit’ Bond, former Missouri governor and senator, dies at 86
Hochman: Why St. Louis Cardinals have baseball’s best defense. ‘They take away runs — often.’
Principal sexually abused Riverview Gardens students, paid them for videos, charges say
Illegal stunt driving pops up Sunday night in St. Louis. Cops spike at least 40 cars.
Missouri Senate GOP slams door on Democrats in bid to repeal abortion rights, paid sick leave
After state takeover, St. Louis to charge police department for city services
During his return game on May 9 in Washington, D.C., Herrera produced a double that jumped off his bat at 100.1 mph in his third plate appearance that night. He homered two days later on a ball that was lined to right-center field with a 108 mph exit velocity. The home run was his fifth of the season and first since he hit three in a game on April 2.
The Cardinals’ Iván Herrera hits a home run against Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez during the sixth inning Monday, May 12, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Matt Slocum, Associated Press
Since his return, seven of the 15 balls Herrera has put in play have recorded exit velocities of 95 mph or higher. Five of those have reached 100 mph or higher, per Statcast.
“He can hit. Like, really hit,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said before his club opened a three-game series vs. Kansas City. “He’s a very promising player. You look at how they attack him and how mid-at-bat he can change his game plan, it’s pretty damn impressive. … There are at-bats where he goes up there and he has a specific plan and two pitches in, he’ll look into the dugout and he’ll kind of smile and change course and whack something and come back in and talk through it.
“It’s just interesting to hear how he thinks about the game. He’s a professional hitter, and he’s only going to get better.”
Ahead of his return a week ago, the 24-year-old played in six Class AAA games during a rehab assignment. He totaled nine hits in 23 at-bats and collected a hit in each of the six games he played for Memphis before being activated at the start of the Cardinals’ three-city, nine-game road trip.
Herrera’s productive return has helped him pick up where he left off before he was injured while running the bases at Fenway Park in early April amid strong start a season that began with him starting on opening day at catcher.
“It sucks, you know. I’m in the best spot I’ve been in professional baseball and something like this happened,” Herrera said about the timing of his injury. “You’ve got to understand it’s part of the game.”
Through 12 games in total to begin this season, Herrera owns a .385/.457/.872 slash line and has produced 14 RBIs. The 24-year-old’s five home runs in 39 at-bats were tied for the third most by a Cardinals hitter this season behind teammates Lars Nootbaar (seven home runs in 168 at-bats) and Willson Contreras (six in 160 at-bats).
“It feels good to produce up here,” Herrera said. “Jumping in and getting right back at it like at the start the season, it feels great. Everything is clicking. I’m swinging the bat a lot in games, which I never did. I felt like I was really patient before. But once you get to this level, you realize that you might only get one pitch to hit and you’ve got to be ready every single pitch. I feel like my approach has changed since then.”
Extra bases
The Cardinals plan to have Sonny Gray start Monday’s series opener vs. the Detroit Tigers at Busch Stadium and will line up Erick Fedde to start Tuesday. Gray (Game 2) and Fedde (Game 1) were the Cardinals starters for their Wednesday doubleheader in Philadelphia.
Cardinals players and coaches including outfielders Victor Scott II, Jordan Walker, and assistant coach Jon Jay visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City on Thursday. The group of Cardinals that toured the museum were hosted by Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
Masyn Winn’s four hits, which included a homer, three RBIs, and three runs scored in Game 2 of the Cardinals’ Wednesday doubleheader in Philadelphia made him the third shortstop in Cardinals history to collect at least four hits, three RBIs, and score three runs while homering in a game. Winn, whose four hits set a career-high, joined Paul DeJong (2019) ad Alvin Dark (1956) as the only Cardinals shortstop who have done so.
Before Friday’s series opener at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals honored their 1985 World Series-winning club with a pregame ceremony.
‘What we believe this team could be’: How Cardinals flexed in Philly for ‘statement’ wins
How crushing drives at Topgolf helped lefty JoJo Romero find his fastball: Cardinals Extra
Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!