The Cardinals avoided what could have been a crippling injury on Saturday when imaging showed no structural damage to the left hamstring of catcher Pedro Pagés.

Pagés, who had a two-run homer and three hits in Saturday’s 11-9 loss to the Mariners, pulled up in pain after beating out an infield single in the seventh inning. Pagés almost immediately started grabbing at a left hamstring that had been sore for days and seized up on him after sprinting to the bag.

Pagés left the game and got an MRI on the hamstring after Saturday’s game. He said he was confident that the injury wasn’t serious and wouldn’t require a stint on the 10-day Injury List.

“It was just tightness that started (earlier in the week) in Miami when I got a foul ball off my hamstring when I was catching there,” he said. “When I ran from first to second (on Wednesday) it tightened up a little bit. I was able to finish that game (on Wednesday) and (on Saturday) I was fine until that last (hit). Once I hit first base and tried to slow down and it tightened up more.

“It’s just something that I’ll have to manage, but I should be able to play tomorrow.”

Pagés was out of the lineup on Sunday as Ivan Herrera was behind the plate for the Cardinals. Pagés is expected to start and catch veteran right-hander Dustin May on Monday against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Had Pagés’ injury been more severe and required an IL stint, it could have presented the Cardinals an opportunity to recall Triple-A Memphis catcher Jimmy Crooks, who has hit eight homers and driven in 17 runs in his first 19 games of the 2026 season.

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