ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals promoted catching prospect Jimmy Crooks and outfielder Nelson Velázquez from Triple-A Memphis on Friday, May 29, 2026, before beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The team optioned catcher Yohel Pozo and infielder César Prieto to Triple-A Memphis the same day.

Crooks, 24, will serve as the Cardinals’ No. 2 catcher behind Iván Herrera, with Pedro Pagés as the third option behind the plate. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said, "Crooks will have a decent amount of catching. He’s definitely here to play." Marmol added, "He’s done a ton of work in that (preparation) area and the reports from Triple-A have been phenomenal in terms of how he carries out the pitcher’s meetings. His preparation has been elite." He also said, "At some point you’ve got to create an opportunity for him and one that is long enough that is meaningful for evaluation. So, from a timing standpoint this made sense."

Crooks hit .262 with 13 home runs and 29 RBIs in 39 Triple-A games during the 2026 season. His performance improved in May, when he hit 5 home runs and lowered his strikeout rate to 30.5 percent after posting a 41.4 percent strikeout rate in March and April. In his MLB debut in August 2025, Crooks batted .133 with one home run in 15 games. He said, "I was thrown into the fire a little bit (upon his MLB promotion in 2025), so I just had to stay the course. And then with the catching aspect, I’m just trying to take care of my pitchers and be a leader behind the plate." Crooks also said, "It’s just been about my approach, sticking through the middle and taking care of my pitchers as a catcher because that’s my main job." He added, "It’s just about been about being patient. When we go through funks like that, you’ve just got to stay with the course and stay simple – ball to bat."

Nelson Velázquez, 27, started and batted cleanup for the Cardinals on Friday night. He hit .232 with 7 home runs and 22 RBIs in 40 Triple-A games in 2026. After a slow start—.164 with two home runs in March and April—Velázquez rebounded in May, hitting .308 with five home runs over 65 at-bats. He posted a .357 average with a 1.116 OPS in 15 Spring Training games. Velázquez said, "It took me a little bit (to regroup), but I got to reset myself and I started doing everything that I needed to do to be on the field." He added, "So, I just did everything I could do. I got to talk to my parents and my friends (about his disappointment) and I got some good comments back that helped me improve my game."