CINCINNATI — The Cardinals will promote catcher Jimmy Crooks and infielder Cesar Prieto to the majors, and both players are set to join the club Friday afternoon before a series against the Reds opens at Great American Ball Park.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks reacts prepares for an at bat during live batting practice on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, as spring training continues at the team's practice facility in Jupiter, Florida.
For both players, their first appearance in a game will be their major-league debut.
The openings on the roster are created by Alec Burleson going on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right wrist, and catcher Yohel Pozo goes on the 7-day concussion list. The Cardinals will make those moves official Friday afternoon as the team reports to the ballpark.
Crooks and Prieto were expected in Cincinnati on Friday afternoon.Â
Prieto will wear No. 31. Crooks will wear No. 8.
Burleson left late in Thursday's game as he continues to deal with pain in his right wrist. That caused him to miss a game on a recent road trip. Catcher Yohel Pozo was able to finish the victory against the Pirates after being struck on his mask, but the Cardinals planned to re-evaluate him Friday.
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The Cardinals have potentially two injured list moves to consider.
As a result of their trade deadline maneuvers, the Cardinals had two openings on their 40-player roster for both prospects to be added without need for another move.
Crooks, 24, has spent the year at Class AAA Memphis, where he's hit .274 with a .337 on-base percentage and a .441 slugging percentage for a .778 OPS. He offers a left-handed-hitting complement at catcher, and in 98 games for the Triple-A Redbirds he's hit 14 home runs with 79 RBIs. Crooks is considered one of the top catching prospects in the minors. He's thrown out 30 runners on the bases in 102 stolen base attempts against him.
Prieto, 26, has also spent the entire season with the Redbirds, and the left-handed-hitting infielder has hit .295 with a .359 on-base percentage at the Class AAA level. He has 28 doubles and nine home runs in 107 games for a .448 slugging percentage and an .807 OPS. Prieto made a strong impression during spring training with the major-league staff because of the scope and versatility of his game and the numbers of ways he could contribute reliably. Â
Crooks won the Texas League MVP in 2024 with the Class AA Springfield Cardinals. Prieto was acquired by the Cardinals from Baltimore at the 2023 trade deadline as part of the Jack Flaherty deal.
Both of the moves are coming ahead of expanded rosters. On Monday, teams can shift to a 28-player roster, up from the 26-player active roster for games.
