This spring likely won't be the precursor to a contending season for the St. Louis Cardinals but it is an important one in laying the foundation of the future.

The Cardinals have spent more than a year building assets to be competitive in the future to add to the promising young players already within the organization.

Unfortunately, one of those aforementioned promising players is currently dealing with an injury.

Catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera was originally scheduled to compete for Panama in the 2026 World Baseball Classic but was denied the insurance coverage required to compete in the event due to undergoing arthroscopic to clear out bone spurs in his elbow this offseason.

Herrera's surgery led to a rehab that carried into spring training. He made his Grapefruit League debut Feb. 26 and has played three games this spring, with his last being Friday.

Herrera was scheduled to play a fourth spring game against the New York Mets on Saturday as the team's designated hitter, but was scratched late from the lineup.

According to a report from Rob Rains of the St. Louis Sports Page, Herrera's late scratch was due to right knee inflammation.

According to St. Louis manager Oli Marmol, the team will wait one-to-two days to see how Herrera responds to rest before reevaluating him.

Herrera, despite being limited to a mostly-DH role last season, was one of the Cardinals' most effective hitters.

He slashed .284/.373/.464 with an .837 OPS and hit 13 doubles and 19 home runs with 66 RBIs in 107 games last season.

Herrera had two stints on the injured list last season. He was out from April 7-May 8 with right knee inflammation and was on the shelf from June 20-July 12 with a left hamstring strain.

Pedro Pages took over the main catching duties while Herrera was either out or DHing last season. There was expectation that Herrera would begin the season again in a DH role before eventually transitioning back to catching.

This latest setback could delay whatever timeline the Cardinals have in place for the 25-year-old to return to the backstop.

If St. Louis discovers it's a more-serious injury, then the team will likely have Pages resume catching duties and look for someone else to take over as the primary DH.

The Cardinals' spring training finale takes place against the Houston Astros at 10:05 a.m. CT on March 22 at CACTI Park in West Palm Beach, Fla.

St. Louis will begin its regular season against the Tampa Bay Rays at 2:15 p.m. CT on March 26 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Remember to join our CARDINALS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other CARDINALS fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!