Contreras went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 4-2 win over the Mets.
The Cardinals mustered just five hits, but Contreras and Alec Burleson provided a pair of homers to make it work. Contreras continues to play through a lingering hand injury, and while it's limited his ability to catch, he's been fine at the plate. Since the injury occurred April 3, he's gone 17-for-52 (.327) with two homers, six doubles and five RBI. For the season, he's slashing .296/.425/.563 with four homers, nine RBI, 12 runs scored, seven doubles and a stolen base over 21 contests. Contreras will continue to split time between catcher and designated hitter.
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: In Wednesday's lineup
Rotowire
Contreras (hand) will start at designated hitter and bat second in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
He made an early exit from Tuesday's loss to Arizona with lingering left hand soreness, although Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said afterward that Contreras' removal had more to do with the lopsided score. Contreras intends to continue playing through discomfort, but might see more reps at DH than catcher, opening up starts behind the plate for Ivan Herrera.
... See More... See Less
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Will play through hand injury
Rotowire
Contreras admitted after Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks that his left hand "doesn't feel good" but is "nothing that will keep me away from the game," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Contreras missed four games earlier this month with an injury that was suffered back on April 3. He homered in his first plate appearance for the Cardinals' lone run Tuesday before eventually exiting after the fifth inning in the blowout loss. Manager Oliver Marmol said the lopsided score was the bigger reason for Contreras' departure, and the catcher seems adamant that he will continue to play through the injury. Contreras is slashing .326/.426/.500 in 13 games since getting hurt, so while it's clear he's not 100 percent, it does not appear to be affecting his offensive performance.
Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Goes yard in blowout loss
Rotowire
Contreras went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 14-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Contreras provided a positive start for the Cardinals with his first-inning blast, but it quickly went off the rails for the home team after that. The catcher saw his 11-game hitting streak end Monday, but he's still been one of the Cardinals' most consistent bats so far. He's slashing .292/.418/.523 with three homers, eight RBI, 10 runs scored, six doubles and a stolen base over 19 contests. Manager Oliver Marmol has committed to getting both Contreras and Ivan Herrera regular at-bats, so they have often shared catcher and designated hitter in recent weeks.
