Ivan Herrera is part of a special group of players in Major League Baseball this year. He’s one of just a few players who have played in every one of their team’s games this year. Herrera has played in all 99 games this year, and he’s logged the fifth-most plate appearances in MLB so far with 443 to his name. While it’s nice to see him lace up every single day, this wear and tear is beginning to show.

Herrera, 26, has been the Cardinals’ primary designated hitter this year. of his 99 games, 62 have come at the DH position while 37 have come behind the dish. Designated hitter is certainly a less taxing position than catcher, but to be on the field every single day outside of any regular days off can take a toll on a player.

A player with a speckled injury history including knee troubles last year, there was concern with Herrera going back to catching about 30-40% of the time this year. The hope, however, was that his time at the DH spot would spare him some trouble during the year.

It’s kept him healthy, but it hasn’t kept him productive.

Oli Marmol playing Ivan Herrera every day has been detrimental to the young slugger’s season.

Herrera started the year off hot; he had a 131 wRC+ through the month of May with seven home runs and a .391 on-base percentage. Things were going quite well for Herrera up to that point.

June came, and the script flipped.

Since June 1, Ivan Herrera has a 91 wRC+ and just four home runs to his name. His OBP has fallen to .341. That isn’t the type of production you want from your primary designated hitter, a position that focuses solely on hitting.

It’s been even worse for Herrera since the calendar flipped to July.

Through 17 games in July, Herrera is slashing .209/.260/.269 with a 49 wRC+. Since July 5th, he has a 6 wRC+. He’s been 94% below league average since July 5th. That’s 13 games and 55 plate appearances where he’s been virtually useless as the plate. Only five other players in that span have a lower wRC+ than Herrera.

Herrera has come out of the All-Star Break ice cold. He’s three for his last 20 with no extra base hits, six strikeouts, and no walks. While his power hadn’t quite developed in the first half of the season, he was getting on base at an elite clip. Now, even that tendency has been drained. His last walk or hit by pitch came on July 9th, a full eight games ago.

In the month of July, Herrera’s line drive rate has increased while his groundball rate has decreased. For the year, his groundball rate is virtually identical to the 2025 figure (49% in 2026, 48.7% in 2025). The difference lies in his hard-hit rate. It’s dropped precipitously from 32.9% in June to 25% in July. His chase rate has also jumped from 25.1% in June to 33.1% in July, a career high in any month for Herrera.

Ivan Herrera is chasing pitches he shouldn’t and therefore making soft contact in July. These two adjustments will bode well for the rest of his season.

Ivan Herrera was a key part of the Cardinals’ fearsome foursome at the top of the lineup through June. He’s been a well below-average hitter since then, and he’s likely in dire need of rest. A day or two off in the middle of this 20-game stretch would behoove the 26-year-old slugger.

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