The St. Louis Cardinals will be without Catcher Willson Contreras for an extended period of time after an injury Tuesday night. As soon as the Met’s J.D. Martinez’s swing made contact with Contreras’ arm in the second inning of Tuesday’s matchup, it was clear the injury was serious. X-rays immediately revealed a fracture in Contreras’ left forearm. Contreras told reporters after the game he will have surgery on his arm and it will take six to eight weeks to recover.
“This is the most pain I’ve been through for sure,” Contreras said. “I knew right away it was a bad situation, then when I got to set down in the dirt it was numb, I knew it wasn’t right.”
Willson Contreras will leave this game after taking a J.D. Martinez swing to his left arm. pic.twitter.com/mJfiqOBf4t
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024
Contreras Was The Cardinals Most Consistent Hitter
On top of being the Cardinals leading home-run hitter, Contreras was leading the team in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He was also second on the team in batting average, only behind third-baseman Nolan Arenado. In the first inning of the 7-5 loss to the Mets Tuesday, Contreras doubled and came around to score, extending his team lead in both of those stat categories as well.
Contreras’ .398 OBP was 13th-best in the league and his .551 SLG was 12th-best. He was also in the top-15 percentile of the league for his barrels per swing percentage according to Baseball Savant. Contreras was one of the few bright spots for a struggling Cardinals Offense.
“It’s really difficult because I was going through a really good stretch,” Contreras said Tuesday night. “I’ve just got to get back stronger and be here for the guys, I think that is the best thing I can do.”
Contreras on his injury and recovery time: “This is most pain I’ve been through, for sure. I knew right away it was a bad situation. … Unfortunately, it’s going to take 6 to 8 weeks to recover. … I’m not going to blame anybody. I just have to get back stronger.” #STLCards pic.twitter.com/CywcdrWNTE
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024
Next Man Up
Rookie Catcher Ivan Herrera will now become the Cardinals every-day catcher. Herrera has been having a solid season when he has filled in for Contreras or while starting at DH. Through 69 at-bats in 2024, Herrera has three home runs, 11 RBI, and a .232/.276/.377 slash line.
“He’s grown a ton, he’s matured a ton, and he’ll have an opportunity to catch quite a bit moving forward,” said Cardinals Manager Olliver Marmol after the game.
Fellow rookie catcher Pedro Pages had just been optioned to Triple-A on Sunday to make room for Dylan Carlson. Marmol said after Tuesday’s game Pages is heading back to St. Louis to serve as the backup catcher.
Pitch Framing Leading To More Catcher’s Interference
Contreras had entered this year working on a modified stance to try and improve his pitch framing metrics. Going down on one knee to try and get lower pitches to look like strikes. He wasn’t among the leaders in pitch framing. It had been a point of emphasis in his game. Both Contreras and Marmol faced questions about the risk of modifying his stance and potentially being closer to batters after the injury.
“Even during the offseason, it was a topic of discussion,” Marmol said. “Because there was an increase in [catcher’s interference incidents]. The more catchers are evaluated on framing the closer they are getting to the hitter in order to get that low pitch. So, it’s definitely a topic of conversation, the risk is high. We just experienced it.”
Marmol on if he’s been able to talk to Contreras yet: “Yeah, that’s why I was a little later coming in. He’s OK. He reiterated that we have enough in that clubhouse to continue to take our shots, and he’s going to be diligent in his work in order to get back so, keep going.” pic.twitter.com/jLULJQOPyT
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) May 8, 2024
Contreras acknowledged his stance was different, but he said he wouldn’t blame anybody for the injury. He defended his approach to reporters chalking the injury up to the dangers of being a catcher.
“There’s always a risk being a catcher, it could be something different, it could be one of my knees, getting hit in the head for a concussion,” Contreras said. “But the risk is always going to be there, I’m not blaming any part of my game because this happened tonight. When I get back I want to try to be the same guy behind the plate and keep doing my best.”
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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