Pagés' Return, Crooks' Wait: Cardinals Catcher Situation

0:00On April 27, Pedro Paje scared some St. Louis Cardinals fans when he left Saturday's game against the Seattle Mariners with tightness in his left. Hamstring, right away, talk turned to Jimmy Crooks in Triple A as a possible replacement, but the team held off on any moves after more tests. Imaging on Paje's came back clean, Sunday showing no real damage, just swelling from an earlier foul ball. He felt good enough to predict his own return, and sure enough, the Cardinals slotted him back in the lineup from Monday's opener against the UMM, Pittsburgh Pirates. Fans have been buzzing about calling up Crooks, especially with Paje struggling earlier this season. That injury exit fueled hopes for a shake-up behind the plate, but Paje has flipped the script lately, hitting 333 over his last seven games with a Homer and four RBI's. Crooks is tearing it up in Triple A Memphis at age 24, slashing 270, 400, 608 with eight homers in 17, driven in. His numbers screened promotion potential as a long-term catcher option.

1:04For now though, the Cardinals are rolling with Paje's, even Herrera and Johel Pozo, no big changes on the horizon. Keep an eye on Crooks. He'll get his shot soon enough as the team sorts out the future. That wraps MLB News today, brought to you with AI.