While the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Texas Rangers 14-1 at Salt River Fields, the game saw one of their catchers go down with an injury. Jose Herrera was upended in a home plate collision with the Rangers' Alan Trejo and left the game at the conclusion of the play. Christian Cerda took over from behind the plate for the rest of the game.
The Diamondbacks later gave an update on Herrera's injury.
José Herrera exited today’s game with right wrist soreness.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 9, 2025
Wrist injuries can be tricky to navigate, especially since it's his throwing hand. How much time he'll miss could affect his chances in making the Opening Day roster in the backup catcher competition. Herrera is competing with Adrian Del Castillo and Rene Pinto to be the backup behind Gabriel Moreno. A minor injury will hardly affect his ability to make the roster but a lengthier absence could affect them negatively.
Entering the 2025 season, he is out of minor league options. That means the Diamondbacks would have to pass him through waivers if he failed to make the Opening Day roster. This spring he's hitting .353 with a .860 OPS, so he's holding his own in the competition with Del Castillo struggling at the plate and Pinto not seeing much action recently.
Herrera would be entering his fourth season as the primary backup, averaging 44 games played per season. In each of the previous three seasons, the Diamondbacks have had their starting catcher go on the injured list. So that means having a capable backup could mean the difference between making and not making the postseason.
The current situation in Arizona is Moreno will start 100-110 games behind the plate. That leaves another 50-60 starts to cover for the season. The dropoff at catcher is noticeable from Moreno to everyone else, especially on the offensive side of the ball, so Arizona needs to be able to win at least 40% of the games he's not in the lineup.