Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras winces in pain as trainer Adam Olsen and manager Oli Marmol ... [+]
With the 2024 season barely a month old, things are going from bad to worse for the St. Louis Cardinals.
After finishing last in their division with a 71-91 mark that included their most defeats since 1990, the Cards were counted on a good start after signing free-agent pitchers Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson.
But they weren’t counting on losing their best hitter and starting catcher on a bad night in New York.
It happened when Willson Contreras took a direct hit on his left forearm from the powerful backswing of Mets designated hitter J.D Martinez.
Contreras, who had been reaching for a pitch by Miles Mikolas, fell to the ground in pain before an X-ray revealed a fracture.
He’ll miss up to eight weeks after surgery, pushing his probable return past the All-Star break in mid-July.
By far the best performer in Oli Marmol’s 2024 lineup, the catcher is hitting .280 with a .398 on-base percentage and .551 slugging percentage in his 128 plate appearances. He tops the team in on-base percentage, slugging, and home runs.
A three-time All-Star, Contreras has produced five 20-homer seasons. He had six this year before injury intervened.
The Venezuelan backstop, whose brother William has blossomed into an All- Star receiver with the Milwaukee Brewers, has a career batting average of .258, compiled during a nine-year career that began with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
Contreras, 32 next week, is in the second season of a five-year, $75 million deal that makes him the highest-paid Cardinal after first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, whose five-year, $130 million deal ends this fall.
The St. Louis payroll of $175,479,118, which ranks 12th in the National League, seems generous in relation to team performance.
Retired Cardinals Albert Pujols (5) and Yadier Molina (4) may meet again in the Baseball Hall of ... [+]
Since losing catcher Yadier Molina, first baseman Albert Pujols, and pitcher Adam Wainwright to retirement, the Cardinals have struggled.
Entering play Thursday, they continued to languish in the cellar of the Central Division, six games from the top with a record of 15-21.
An inability to win at home, where they are only 6-11, has been both a surprise and a disappointment.
With Contreras out, light-hitting rookie Ivan Herrera is expected to inherit the catching job – despite a .234 average in limited action. Another rookie, Pedro Pages, has been called up to serve as understudy for Herrera.
Fans continue to support the club – paid attendance at Busch Memorial Stadium last year ranked third in the NL at 3,241,091 – but are used to winning and could be getting restless.
The Cardinals have not won a pennant since 2013 or a World Series since 2011.
