St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Now Reportedly Unlikely to Play in World Baseball Classic

There’s some disappointing news out of St. Louis Cardinals camp, as it appears that starting catcher Ivan Herrera won’t be able to play for Team Panama at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Per Cardinals reporter Jeff Jones:

News from Bloom — Iván Herrera has to date not been able to receive insurance to compete in the WBC due to his offseason surgery. Waiting on a final resolution in the coming days but as of now it appears unlikely that he’ll be able to play.

Herrera had been expected to be one of the true stars for Panama, the same country that produced Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.

Getting insurance clearance has been much harder for players in this World Baseball Classic cycle. Herrera had surgery on his right elbow in the offseason, which is causing the issue here.

A 25-year-old from Panama, Herrera made his major league debut in 2022. Since then, he’s hit .286 with a .370 on-base percentage, also popping 24 career home runs. Nineteen of those came in 2025, along with 66 RBIs. It was by far his most productive big-league season, as 2022 and 2023 represented brief cameos in the big leagues.

He carried an OPS+ of 136 and will represent one of the best offensive options for the Cardinals in the wake of trades of Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras.

Including Herrera, the organization has been scheduled to have 10 different representatives for the international tournament, which begins March 5.

1) Riley O’Brien (Korea)

2) Thomas Saggese (Italy)

3) Ivan Herrera (Panama)

4) Leonardo Bernal (Panama)

5) Matt Koperniak (Great Britain)

6) Luis Gastelum (Mexico)

7) Zach Levenson (Israel)

8) Noah Mendlinger (Israel)

9) Gordon Graceffo (Italy)

10) Bryan Torres (Puerto Rico)

Playing in the World Baseball Classic is a great honor, but it can come with a price for teams who see players leave amid evaluations and roster battles. And it can come at a price for players who don’t get a chance to showcase everything they can do in front of coaches and team staff as they battle for specific roles.

A pair of former Cardinals found new homes on Wednesday, with starting pitcher Miles Mikolas signing with the Washington Nationals and reliever John King signing with the Miami Marlins. Both had been valuable contributors to the Cardinals.

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St. Louis Cardinals Catcher Now Reportedly Unlikely to Play in World Baseball Classic

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