Jimmy

Crooks

Crooks got into 15 games for the Cardinals last season and finally got another call up to the big leagues earlier this week after hitting .262/.412/.567 with 13 homers in 39 games for Triple-A Memphis. The 24-year-old offers enough offensive upside that he’s worth monitoring in deeper mixed leagues. He’s unlikely to wrestle enough starts away from Iván Herrera to make a significant impact.

He’ll take Yohel Pozo’s roster spot, and given how little hitting Pedro Pages is doing, it’s possible Crooks could take a large role with the Cardinals over the last four months of the season. Crooks was hitting .262/.412/.567 at Triple-A Memphis with 13 homers.

Crooks now has four home runs and nine RBI on the season while slashing .375/.516/.917 with a 7/6 K/BB ratio and a 59 percent hard-hit rate. Meanwhile, Pedro Pages is hitting .182/.280/.318 and has minor league options remaining. No move is imminent, but if the performance disparity remains this stark by the end of the month, it could become more likely.

Crooks, who hit .133 in a 15-game cup of coffee last year in the majors, has gotten off to an unbelievable start this season, hitting .533 (8-for-15) with three homers through four games. The 24-year-old backstop’s path to at-bats with the Cardinals is extremely narrow with both Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés handling the catching duties in the big leagues. He could force his way into St. Louis’ plans if he’s able to sustain this hot streak for a couple more weeks.

Hence is not long removed from being an upper-echelon prospect, but he was limited to just 21 innings due to injury in 2025. Bernal is one of the top catching prospects in baseball but likely is a couple years away from making his debut.

With Willson Contreras (shoulder) going on the IL, Burleson figures to be the starting first baseman for the Cardinals for the rest of the season. That should allow Ivan Herrera to continue to DH regularly with Pedro Pages and Jimmy Crooks splitting time at catcher. Crooks is starting on Wednesday and batting seventh.

The Cardinals are keeping Jimmy Crooks on the roster for now, so Pozo might spend more time pinch-hitting than catching. However, he does have an opening these next few days at first base while Willson Contreras is suspended.

Any fantasy managers hoping for one player to emerge will be disappointed, which will likely make it hard to roster either player for the final month of the season. Crooks will start on Tuesday for the first time at Busch Stadium with Miles Mikolas on the mound.

Crooks took lefty reliever Sam Moll deep to right field for his first career hit in the seventh inning of this one. The 24-year-old backstop is an interesting fantasy prospect to monitor over the final month based on his offensive production in the upper minors over the last two seasons.

Crooks is making his first career start on Sunday after being brought up from Triple-A Memphis prior to Friday’s series opener. The 24-year-old backstop is an interesting fantasy prospect to monitor based on his offensive production in the upper minors over the last two seasons. There may be some speed bumps as he adjusts to life in the big leagues, but there’s an opportunity for him with the Cardinals since it looks like Iván Herrera’s future will be elsewhere on the diamond in an effort to keep him healthy.