Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras has suffered a finger fracture and is headed for the injured checklist, in line with Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Publish-Dispatch. Per Goold, catcher Ivan Herrera is predicted to interchange Contreras on the energetic roster tomorrow. Contreras suffered the damage when he was hit by a pitch throughout the membership’s loss to the Twins this night, and a selected timetable for his return shouldn’t be but obtainable. Per Goold, Contreras is ready to endure scanning on the injured finger on Monday that would assist decide the size of his absence.
Whereas it’s not but clear precisely how lengthy Contreras figures to be out as a result of damage, the information is nonetheless an extremely irritating growth for the Cardinals. The 32-year-old has been among the many membership’s most dependable hitters this season with a superb .263/.379/.470 slash line (141 wRC+) this season however has struggled to remain on the sector between this newest damage and a damaged arm suffered again in Could when he was struck with a backswing after St. Louis coaches instructed he transfer nearer to the plate to enhance his pitch framing. With simply over a month remaining within the common season, a prolonged absence for Contreras might spell the tip of his 2024 marketing campaign.
Even when Contreras manages to return earlier than the yr involves an finish, it’s a worrisome omen for the Cardinals’ dwindling playoff aspirations. The membership dropped to a 64-65 document in the present day that places them under .500 and in third place within the NL Central behind each the Brewers and Cubs. Given Milwaukee’s near-insurmountable 10.5 sport lead within the division, nonetheless, the membership’s playoff hopes have been extra centered on the Wild Card in latest weeks. Sadly, the Cardinals at the moment are six video games again of the Braves for the ultimate NL Wild Card spot and wouldn’t solely have to make up that deficit but additionally surpass the Cubs, Giants, and Mets within the standings to say a spot within the postseason.
A lot of the membership’s struggles this yr have been on account of an offense that has been fairly lackluster this season. The membership’s collective wRC+ of 97 is 18th within the majors, down from thirteenth with a 103 wRC+ when in comparison with final yr’s 91-loss group. Enhancements within the membership’s rotation have helped to make the membership extra aggressive than they have been final yr, however bettering the beginning workers’s collective ERA from 5.08 final yr to 4.46 this season has not been sufficient to beat the struggles of key offensive gamers from final yr’s membership like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Nolan Gorman.
On an offense that’s seen solely Alec Burleson, Masyn Winn, and Brendan Donovan submit numbers greater than 5% higher than league common by wRC+ amongst its certified hitters, it’s arduous to overstate the significance of Contreras as a middle-of-the-order energy bat for the Cardinals. With the veteran backstop now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the membership will now have to hope for enhancements from items like Arenado and Lars Nootbaar down the stretch to maintain what little playoff hopes the membership has alive.
They’ll additionally want younger catchers Herrera and Pedro Pages to step up and carry out in Contreras’s absence. Pages, 25, has been an acceptable back-up for Contreras this yr with a .250/.299/.364 slash line that’s good for an 86 wRC+, and his .326/.356/.442 slash line because the All-Star break is encouraging, although it is available in a restricted pattern measurement of simply 14 video games. That leaves Herrera as maybe the higher wager to attract common begins behind the plate. The 24-year-old teenager has seen motion in elements of three huge league seasons however acquired his first prolonged look earlier this yr and carried out solidly with a .279/.340/.378 slash line (105 wRC+) and glorious peripheral numbers reminiscent of a 9.0% barrel price that recommend the opportunity of optimistic regression in his future. Herrera has continued to hit fairly nicely since he returned to Triple-A early final month, with a .280/.402/.473 slash line in 112 journeys to the plate since being despatched again down.
