St. Louis Cardinals’ star catcher Willson Contreras will be out for the foreseeable future after suffering a freak injury.
In the top of the second inning of Tuesday’s game, an eventual 7-5 New York Mets’ win, Contreras was hit by J.D. Martinez’s bat on a swing.
Contreras was in agonizing pain, as he fell to the ground, got up, and then fell back down to the ground. Here’s a video of the play:
JD Martinez hit Wilson Contreras’ left forearm on his swing. It resulted in a fractured left forearm.
The Cardinals moved Contreras up closer to the plate in an attempt to get more low pitches called strikes.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) May 8, 2024
Contreras left the game, and the Cardinals later announced that he suffered a left-arm fracture.
INJURY UPDATE: Willson Contreras was removed from tonight’s game due to a left-arm fracture.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 8, 2024
Contreras spoke to reporters after the game about the unfortunate situation.
“This is the most pain I’ve been through, for sure,” Contreras said. “I knew right away that it was a bad situation. And then when I got to sit down in the dirt, it was numb. I knew it wasn’t right.”
Contreras also revealed what the injury was, and how long he would be out.
“It’s a fracture, forearm fracture,” Contreras said. “It’s going to take six to eight weeks to recover. I think we’re planning on having a surgery because that’s the best way to go. As of right now, I’m in pain pretty good.”
Contreras made it clear he didn’t blame anybody for the injury.
“I’m not going to blame anybody,” Contreras said. “I just got to get back stronger and be here for the guys. I think that’s the best thing I can do.”
Teams are having catchers move up closer than ever to help with framing, and Contreras is having the best season of his career as a pitch framer. There’s been an increase in catcher interference calls, and now there’s this super unfortunate injury that’s taken place.
Contreras didn’t want to blame anybody for the situation, though, as he’s now just focused on getting healthy.
“I think there’s always a risk being a catcher,” Contreras said. “When I get back, I’m going to try to be the same guy behind the plate and keep doing my best.”
A reporter brought up the idea of having a line for the catcher to stand behind.
“I think there should be a line for the swing, for sure,” Contreras said. “Like I said, I’m not blaming anybody but you already have like 10-plus years in the big leagues and you know your swing… Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again to any catcher because it’s not fun.”
Contreras was off to a great start this season, slashing .280/.398/.551 with six home runs and 12 RBIs. His .950 OPS would be by far the highest of his career.
Contreras is a three-time All-Star, most recently in 2022. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Chicago Cubs, before spending 2023 and now 2024 with St. Louis.
Contreras is in the second year of a five-year, $87.5 million deal.
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