Jimmy Crooks Returns as Cardinals Option Yohel Pozo to Memphis
The Cardinals brought back jimmy crooks on the same day they selected Nelson Velázquez and sent Yohel Pozo to Triple-A Memphis. Crooks returns to a big league roster that has leaned on three catchers, with Iván Herrera still taking most of the work behind the plate or at designated hitter.
Crooks Rejoins St. Louis
Crooks reached the majors with a.262/.412/.567 line in Triple-A this year. That kind of production gave him a path back to St. Louis after he had been stuck in Memphis because there had not been much big league playing time available.
He is one of the club’s best prospects, and the move gives the Cardinals another look at a catcher who has hit for both on-base skill and power in the minors. Pozo, by contrast, posted a.242/.242/.273 line and picked up only 33 plate appearances in over two months on the roster.
Memphis Shuffle For Pozo
The swap also leaves César Prieto and Pozo headed to Triple-A Memphis, while St. Louis adds Velázquez to the active mix. The Cardinals had been carrying Pozo and Pedro Pagés alongside Herrera, and Crooks’ recall may cut further into Pagés’ playing time.
Pagés is batting.219/.262/.360 this year, which puts more pressure on every plate appearance in a catcher group already split across three players. Herrera’s.264/.390/.423 line and regular time in the lineup, either behind the plate or at designated hitter, has kept the rest of the catching work crowded.
Velázquez Adds Another Bat
Velázquez signed a minor league deal in the offseason, posted a.357/.449/.667 line in spring training, and began the year in Memphis. He has seven home runs in the minors this season and owns a.232/.344/.420 line with a 101 wRC+ there.
His major league history is more modest, with a.212/.286/.433 line and 98 wRC+ in his career. The promotion fills a 40-man roster opening created when Jared Shuster was designated for assignment a couple of weeks ago, and it gives St. Louis another outfield option while Jordan Walker has put together a breakout season in right field and Bryan Torres has hit.316/.381/.579 since his recent call-up.
For Crooks, the immediate effect is straightforward: he is back in the majors and now has a clearer lane to playing time than he did in Memphis. For Pozo, the move sends him back to Triple-A after a two-month stretch in which the Cardinals barely used him.
