The St. Louis Cardinals have brought back Willson Contreras from the injured list.
Contreras will be catching and batting third in Monday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. He returns after fracturing his forearm on May 7. To make room, the Cardinals sent Nick Raposo to Triple-A Memphis and also activated Nick Robertson, who was then optioned to Memphis too. Raposo had been called up because Iván Herrera was out with lower back tightness, sharing duties with Pedro Pagés. Now Pagés will be Contreras’ backup until Herrera is fit again.
Before his injury, Contreras was doing great, hitting .280/.398/.551 with six home runs and 12 RBIs in just 31 games. His efforts were valued at 1.7 Wins Above Replacement by Baseball Reference. He got hurt when J.D. Martinez of the New York Mets hit him on a swing . Contreras is in year two of a five-year deal worth over $87 million.
Cardinals’ Season Overview:
The Cardinals are in a much better place now than when Contreras got injured. Back then, they had a 15-21 record and were trailing by 6 1/2 games in the National League Central division. As of Monday’s game, their record stands at 39-37, only five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
If the season ended today, they’d be one of three National League wild card teams.
Fans might feel hopeful about this news because it shows improvement and potential for more wins.
What do you think? Are you excited about Contreras’ return?
