Willson Contreras injury update gifts Cardinals another trade asset

The St. Louis Cardinals are about to get a major boost with catcher Willson Contreras close to returning. He could even be back by next week, according to John Mozeliak.

In his absence, the Cardinals have used the tandem of Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages, both of whom have started to produce at the plate. Herrera has been given the bulk of the playing time, but Pages is heating up, having homered twice over the weekend in Chicago.

And so, when Contreras comes back, the Cardinals are going to have a decision to make with Herrera. J.T. Buchheit of Redbird Rants listed three possibilities for Herrera once Contreras comes back, one of which was for the Cardinals to possibly look into trading him.

St. Louis Cardinals could look to trade Ivan Herrera

As Buchheit explains, Herrera is a good enough hitter to receive everyday at-bats, and with Contreras back, it's going to be hard for the Cardinals to provide that for him. Contreras is signed through 2027, and while the veteran backstop could transition to designated hitter duties, Herrera needs consistent at-bats.

Herrera could be used in a trade package that could give St. Louis a legitimate No. 2 starter to help them stand toe-to-toe with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves in the postseason. Herrera would be a valuable commodity if that were the case.

Trading Ivan Herrera isn't the St. Louis Cardinals only option

The trade market hasn't fully developed just yet, so it's unclear which starters will be available at the deadline. Another option for the Cardinals, as explained by Buchheit, is to possibly convert Herrera to a new position so as to keep his bat around. Perhaps Herrera could be the missing right-handed bat off the bench that the Cardinals need when guys like Lars Nootbaar, Tommy Edman, and Contreras make their returns.

St. Louis could even send Pages back down to Triple-A when Contreras returns to keep Herrera around, allowing him to learn from Yadier Molina when the future Hall-of-Famer begins working in his new role with the team's front office. Either way, the return of Contreras is going to force some tough decisions for Mozeliak, and with Pages starting to heat up, St. Louis could possibly capitalize on Herrera's value by trading him to bolster their rotation or even add a piece to their lineup, which has struggled most of the year.

We'll see what the Cardinals do with Herrera when Contreras returns and if he'll ultimately become expendable as a trade piece, used to help the Cards upgrade other areas of the roster.