Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras broke a finger and is headed to the injured list, according to Derrick Goold of St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In Gold, the holder Ivan Herrera He is expected to replace Contreras in the active lineup tomorrow. Contreras was injured when he was hit by a pitch during the club's loss to the Twins last night, and an exact date for his return has yet to be determined. Per Goold, Contreras will have his injured finger tested on Monday which could help determine the length of his absence.
While it's unclear how long Contreras' stats will be out due to the injury, the news is nonetheless an incredibly frustrating development for the Cardinals. The 32-year-old has been one of the team's most reliable hitters this season with an excellent slash line of .263/.379/.470 (141 wRC+) this season but has struggled to stay on the field amid recent injuries and fractures. hurt his arm in May when he was hit by a running back after St. Louis suggested he move closer to the plate to improve his fielding frame. With more than a month left in the regular season, Contreras' extended absence could spell the end of his 2024 campaign.
Even if Contreras is able to return before the year is out, it's a troubling sign of the Cardinals' dwindling aspirations. The team dropped to a 64-65 record today which puts them under .500 and in third place in the NL Central behind both the Brewers and Cubs. Given Milwaukee's nearly 10.5-game winning streak in the division, however, the club's playoff hopes have focused heavily on the Wild Card in recent weeks. Unfortunately, the Cardinals are now six games back of the Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot and will need to not only make up that deficit but also pass the Cubs, Giants, and Mets in the standings to earn a spot in the postseason.
Many of the club's problems this year have been caused by disrespect which has not been consistent this season. The club's collective wRC+ of 97 ranks 18th in the majors, down from 13th with a 103 wRC+ compared to last year's 91-loss team. Improvements to the club's rotation helped make the club more competitive than last year, but improving the starting staff's ERA from 5.08 last year to 4.46 this season was not enough to overcome the struggles of last year's club's key players. like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenadoagain Nolan Gorman.
For a visible case only Alec Burleson, Masyn Winnagain Brendan Donovan posting numbers more than 5% better than the league average wRC+ among his professional hitters, it's hard to overstate Contreras' importance as a power bat in the middle of the Cardinals' order. With the veteran backstop now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the club will now need to hope to improve pieces like Arenado and Lars Nootbaar down to preserve what little hope the club has.
They will also need new catcher Herrera as well Pedro Pages stepping up and making Contreras absent. Pages, 25, has been a perfect backup to Contreras this year with a .250/.299/.364 slash line good for an 86 wRC+, and his .326/.356/.442 slash line since the All-Star break is encouraging, although it comes with a limited sample of only 14 games. That leaves Herrera as perhaps the best bet to draw first behind the plate. The 24-year-old has seen action in parts of three major league seasons but got his extended look earlier this year and has been solid with a .279/.340/.378 slash line (105 wRC+) and excellent on-side numbers. such as a barrel rate of 9.0% which suggests the possibility of a positive pullback in the future. Herrera has continued to hit well since returning to Triple-A earlier last month, with a .280/.402/.473 slash line in 112 plate trips since being sent down.
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