Pedro Pagés DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker and catcher Pedro Pages are not in the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon when the Cardinals continue a series against the New York Mets. Walker has been in the starting nine for each of their previous eight contests. During this stretch, the former 21st overall pick has held a modest .188/.188/.313 slash line with one double and a home run. Through 19 games this season, Walker has held a .239/.299/.338 slash line with two home runs and two stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect the 22-year-old to return to the lineup on Sunday. Pages has taken over top catching duties with Ivan Herrera (knee) on the 10-day injured list. Pages has held a .207 AVG over his last eight games. As a result, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Victor Scott II will cover the outfield while Yohel Pozo will be behind the dish.

St. Louis Cardinals backup catcher Pedro Pages will draw the start on Tuesday against the Angels, and Ivan Herrera will be on the bench. Both have had success early on this season, but it is Pages who has left the yard between the two of them. Pages is 3-for-6 with a home run, three RBI, three runs scored, and no walks or strikeouts thus far. The 26-year-old backstop has faced opposing pitcher Kyle Hendricks twice in the past, going 0-for-2 against the veteran pitcher. The righty was solid this spring, but last season the 35-year-old pitched to a 5.92 ERA, 1.45 ERA, and a 7.8 percent K-BB% -- all career worsts. Pages would appear to be in play as a viable and cheap DFS play, although there are hopefully better options available for season-long fantasy.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie catcher Pedro Pages is getting a breather on Thursday in the series finale at Busch Stadium against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds in a day game after a night contest. Ivan Herrera is doing the catching for right-hander Sonny Gray and will bat sixth against Reds right-hander Jakob Junis. Pages has been splitting time behind the dish with Herrera with Willson Contreras (finger) on the shelf due to a fractured right middle finger. In his first 57 major-league games in 2024, Pages has been respectable with the bat, slashing .244/.284/.390 with six home runs, 22 RBI and 17 runs scored in 177 trips to the plate. Herrera, meanwhile, has a much better .280 average (56-for-200), but it has come with only three long balls while adding 22 RBI and five stolen bases for the Cards. It remains to be seen if Contreras will be able to return in 2024.