BOSTON — Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera had to be helped off the field by his manager and a team trainer so that he could avoid putting weight on his left foot.
The Cardinals' leading hitter in the opening days of this season, Herrera sustained a left knee injury that was initially diagnosed as inflammation in the joint. A team official confirmed the injury during Game 1 of the doubleheader at Fenway Park.
Herrera will go on the 10-day injured list Monday morning, and he will return to St. Louis for additional exams.
An MRI taken in Boston did not show any tears or structural damage, manager Oliver Marmol said. Herrera said he felt better two hours after leaving the field and that he was able to walk with some pain and squat.
He suggested he hoped to be more active in "two days."
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The Cardinals want to have Herrera examined by their medical officials back in St. Louis before committing to a timetable and to assure there isn't some root cause of the inflammation and pain that needs to be addressed.Â
The Cardinals will promote Yohel Pozo to the majors to be the backup catcher. He'll join the team in Pittsburgh on Monday at PNC Park.
The Cardinals must clear a spot on the 40-player roster for him.Â
Herrera appeared to feel discomfort while running the bases in the third inning of Sunday's afternoon game against the Boston Red Sox. He went first to third on a single by Nolan Arenado and then looked uncomfortable walking as he retraced his steps to pick up his batting helmet.
At the end of the inning, Herrera could not get from the third base line to the Cardinals dugout on the third base side without help.
Marmol and trainer Adam Olsen carried Herrera to the dugout.
Pedro Pages replaced Herrera at catcher for the bottom of the third inning. The Cardinals and Red Sox have a day-night doubleheader scheduled for Sunday with ESPN in town for a national telecast of the night game. Pages had two doubles in the Cardinals' Game 1 loss, and he caught all eight innings of the Cardinals' 18-7 loss in the second game of the doubleheader.
Herrera leads the Cardinals with four home runs, three of which he hit this past Wednesday against the Angels at Busch Stadium. His three-homer game was a first by a Cardinals catcher in the club's 134 years since joining the National League. Herrera added a home run on Friday in the home opener for the Red Sox.
