photo: Patrick Anderson and Jimmy Crooks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Alec Burleson and catcher Yohel Pozo on the injured list. The contracts of Memphis infielder César Prieto and catcher Jimmy Crooks were selected to replace them.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals have placed outfielder Alec Burleson (right wrist inflammation) on the 10-day Injured List and catcher Yohel Pozo (jo-EL poh-zo) on the 7-day Concussion List. Infielder César Prieto (pre-EH-toe) and catcher Jimmy Crooks have been selected from Memphis (AAA).
Prieto, 26, was acquired by the Cardinals from the Orioles organization in the trade that sent RHP Jack Flaherty to Baltimore in 2023. In 474 career minor league games over four seasons, Prieto is batting .293 with 44 home runs, 244 RBI, 117 doubles and has stolen 30 bases. The Cienfuegos, Cuba native has started 20 or more games at third base (40), shortstop (39) and second base (22) for the Redbirds. The left-handed batting Prieto was batting .295 with 9 HR, 62 RBI and 29 doubles at the time of his call-up. He is ranked T -4th in the International League in doubles and 5th with 119 hits.
Crooks, 24, was the Cardinals 4th round selection out of the University of Oklahoma in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft. Over the past four professional seasons, the backstop has started 255 games at catcher and played in 326 games overall. The left-handed batting Crooks had a .274 average with 14 HR, 79 RBI and 21 doubles at the time of his call-up. His 79 RBI ranked 6th among International League leaders. Behind the plate, Crooks threw out 29% of attempted base stealers this season. He was named the 2024 Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year.
Burleson is leading the Cardinals in batting (.286) and hits (123) this season and ranks 2nd in home runs (16) and RBI (60).
Pozo has posted career-highs in home runs (5), RBI (19) and extra base hits (13) this season.
Prieto will wear uniform No. 31 and Crooks will wear No. 8. Both players will be active for tonight’s game in Cincinnati and will be making their Major League debuts.
Brian Walton’s take
Given the Cardinals had two 40-man roster openings and both Prieto and Crooks would have been Rule 5 eligible this fall, these moves are not especially surprising.
In terms of opportunity, Crooks is a better prospect (TCN no. 4 in the system) than Prieto and should get to play more during the final month. At this point, I can guess that the Cardinals know all they need to know about Pedro Pages, but they need to get a better reading on Crooks as they hopefully sort out the catching position over the winter.
On the other hand, Prieto is yet another infielder on a roster already loaded with them. He is our no. 32-ranked Cardinals prospect. His ceiling is likely as a reserve, the role he will likely play in the short term.
Related transactions
To replace Crooks and Prieto at Triple-A Memphis, the #stlcards promoted C Carlos Linarez and IF Brody Moore from Double-A Springfield.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) August 29, 2025
Linarez, 23, will serve as the third catcher for the Redbirds and will be making his Triple-A debut. His .652 OPS with Springfield this season is his best in four seasons in the US.
On the other hand, Moore, 25, knows this drill well. This is the infielder’s third fill-in stint with the Redbirds in 2025. His OPS has been consistent between Double-A (.597) and Triple-A (.603) this season.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It has been updated during the regular season and is accessible from the same menu as the team rosters.
Now 20% off – 2025 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its eighth year. It includes 256 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book copy today, with the latter on closeout for 20% off!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2025 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.