<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-full-time-position-change');   ga('set', 'title', 'Willson Contreras set for full-time position change');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Willson-Contreras-set-for-full-time-position-change.jpg"></figure><h1>Willson Contreras set for full-time position change</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-06T18:30:51-08:00">November 6th, 6:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-06T18:30:51-08:00">November 6th, 6:30pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>St. Louis Cardinals slugger Willson Contreras is officially transitioning to first base, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-john-mozeliak-reveals-exactly-why-trade-market-is-so-dead-right-now">president of baseball operations John Mozeliak</a> confirming the move on Wednesday.</p><p>“We think that being such a productive hitter, not catching will make him a better hitter,” the Cardinals president of baseball operations said during the GM meetings. “How do we protect his career?”</p><p>Contreras has given the team his <a href="https://x.com/jesserogersespn/status/1854266733198266483?s=46" rel="noopener">approval for the position change</a>, according to sources close to the situation. Without his consent, the Cardinals might have considered trading him this offseason.</p><p>However, the veteran catcher has a no-trade clause in his five-year, $87.5 million contract, which runs through 2027.</p><p>The move also opens up more opportunities for catchers Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés. For the Cardinals, the main offseason goal is to create consistent playing time for their younger players in the coming season.</p><h2><b>Cardinals shifting Willson Contreras to first base</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Cardinals-Wilson-Contreras-on-the-field.jpg"><figcaption>Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>By shifting Contreras to first base, they’ve found a way to retain both young catchers on the roster while keeping Contreras active in the lineup.</p><p>Contreras has made 11 career appearances at first base, with four of those being starts. Over 51 1/3 innings at the position, he has yet to commit an error, with his last stint at first base coming in 2019 when he played two games for the Chicago Cubs.</p><p>He’ll now be stepping in to replace Paul Goldschmidt, who has manned first base for the Cardinals for the past six seasons.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-paul-goldschmidt-out-free-agency">Goldschmidt, who earned both a Gold Glove</a> and an MVP while playing first base for the Cardinals, is now a free agent. The team quietly communicated to him at the end of the season that he would not be returning, paving the way for Contreras to step into the position.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-updated-injury-timeline">Contreras missed almost 80 games</a> this season due to two injuries, one of which was a fractured arm sustained while catching.</p><p>When he was on the field, he was the team’s top offensive performer, posting an .848 OPS with 15 home runs and 17 doubles in 84 games. His shift to first base contrasts with the Cardinals’ earlier attempt in 2023 to move him to designated hitter and potentially some outfield roles. Contreras rejected that idea, though he did take a two-week hiatus from catching duties.</p><h2><b>Contreras willingness to stay with St. Louis</b></h2><p>Contreras’ willingness to switch positions highlights his commitment to staying with the Cardinals, even as the team faces uncertain times. With payroll decreasing and a shift towards development, Mozeliak has engaged in discussions with all players who hold full no-trade clauses, assessing their interest in remaining with the team during this rebuilding phase.</p><p>The 32-year-old has made it clear he wants to stay with the organization, so the Cardinals won’t be trading him this winter. According to Mozeliak, another player, Sonny Gray, has also expressed a preference to remain with the team.</p><p>Willson Contreras has posted a solid .263/.367/.468 slash line with 35 home runs over 209 games in his two seasons with St. Louis, but injuries and his defensive struggles behind the plate have been recurring issues.</p><p>The position change boosts his fantasy outlook for 2025, as he’s likely to see more consistent playing time. Additionally, the move opens up more opportunities for Iván Herrera and Pedro Pagés to play.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Willson Contreras set for full-time position change

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-updated-injury-timeline');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals’ Willson Contreras gets updated injury timeline');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Cardinals-news-Willson-Contreras-gets-updated-injury-timeline.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals’ Willson Contreras gets updated injury timeline</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-27T12:45:02-07:00">August 27th, 12:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-27T12:45:02-07:00">August 27th, 12:45pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-injured-list-fracture">lost catcher Willson Contreras to a fractured finger</a> when he was hit with a 95 mph four-seam fastball from the Minnesota Twins’ Pablo Lopez. The pitch tailed inside and caught Contreras on the right middle finger. Now the Cardinals expect to be without their catcher for at least <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-injuries-and-roster-moves" rel="noopener">three weeks</a>, according to St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol, per an MLB.com team report. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Contreras won’t need surgery on the broken digit.</p><p>While the team hopes the 32-year-old backstop will return this season, Marmol acknowledged that Contreras will need to be shut down for about three weeks for the finger to fully heal. He’ll then likely go on a rehab assignment in the minors before rejoining the big league club, according to MLB.com.</p><p>St. Louis recalled former <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-st-louis-big-league-plans-minor-league-player-of-the-year">Minor League Player of the Year Ivan Herrera</a> to fill in for the three-time All-Star behind the plate. Herrera was with the Cardinals earlier this season before being optioned to the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Memphis. Pedro Pages will split catching duties with Herrera while Contreras is on the shelf.</p><p>Both Herrera and Pages are inferior offensively to Contreras with Herrara posting a .710 OPS and an OPS+ of 99 in 55 games for St. Louis this season while Pages has a .658 OPS and an OPS+ of just 83 in 49 games.</p><h2><b>The Cardinals will miss Willson Contreras for the postseason stretch run</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Willson-Contreras.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>After spending the first seven years of his career with the Chicago Cubs – and winning the World Series with Chicago in his rookie season – Contreras joined the division rival <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/willson-contreras-free-agency-grading-cardinals-5-year-87-5-million-contract">Cardinals on a five-year, $87.5 million deal</a> prior to the 2023 season. He had big shoes to fill in St. Louis, taking over catching duties from nine-time Gold Glove winner Yadier Molina, who retired after the 2022 season. Last year Contreras had 20 home runs and 67 RBI with a .826 OPS and an OPS+ of 123 in 125 games for the Cardinals.</p><p>The nine-year veteran has been productive at the plate again this season. He has 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 36 RBI and 48 runs scored with a .848 OPS and an OPS+ of 136 in 84 games so far in 2024. He’s up to 3.1 bWAR on the season.</p><p>The move to the 10-day injured list is Contreras’ second IL stint this year. He was forced to miss time earlier in the season after a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-freak-injury-hint-oliver-marmol">freak accident when his left forearm was broken</a> after he was hit with a swing by the New York Mets’ J.D. Martinez. The catcher was out of action from early May until he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-st-louis-willson-contreras-injury-braves">returned to the lineup on June 24</a>.</p><p>Losing Contreras to injury for most of September is a bad break for St. Louis as the team still holds out hope of reaching the postseason this year. Despite starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-miles-mikolas-believes-can-win-17-straight-games-if-needed">Miles Mikolas’ confidence that the team can win 17 straight games</a> if necessary, the Cardinals are a long shot to reach the playoffs. The team is 10.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and six games back in the National League Wild Card race.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals’ Willson Contreras gets updated injury timeline

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-injured-list-fracture');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals’ Willson Contreras to be put on injured list after suffering fracture');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Willson-Contreras-to-be-put-on-injured-list-after-suffering-fracture.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals’ Willson Contreras to be put on injured list after suffering fracture</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-08-24T20:00:04-07:00">August 24th, 8:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-08-24T20:18:11-07:00">August 24th, 8:18pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals’ Willson Contreras suffered a broken finger on Saturday night in his team’s 6-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins, causing Manager Oliver Marmol’s team <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mlb/cardinals/bad-break-again-pitch-fractures-willson-contreras-finger-sends-cardinals-catcher-to-il/article_f9df4bbc-6216-11ef-b177-77d041793f1a.html?utm_source=stltoday.com&amp;utm_campaign=news-alerts&amp;utm_medium=cio&amp;lctg=fef307009ba8019ca801&amp;tn_email_eh1=5a75ca738dab04a38ca8071b54fe82c207456bbae252fe9e4a15a7bf4f65321c">to announce</a> that they will place the 32-year-old Venezuela native on injured reserve.</p><p>The information was revealed amid the Cardinals’ 6-0 road loss to their AL Central opponents, their third loss in six games.</p><p>The Cardinals’ Contreras is <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32532/willson-contreras">hitting .262</a> with 15 home runs for the NL Central’s third-place team, along with 36 runs batted in.</p><p>The Contreras injury revelation came amid <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/twins-news-sonny-grays-eye-opening-admission-on-leaving-minnesota-in-free-agency">Cardinals star Sonny Grey’s take</a> on facing his former team. Previously, Cardinals pitcher Miles <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-miles-mikolas-believes-can-win-17-straight-games-if-needed">Mikolas shared his thoughts</a> on whether the team can reel off 17 straight wins in hopes of securing a playoff berth.</p><p>Contreras’ injury puts St. Louis in a tough spot considering the dire situation they are in as far as their playoff hopes are now constituted.</p><h2><b>Cardinals wrap up series with Twins </b></h2><p>The Cardinals are scheduled to wrap up their series with the Twins at 2:10 p.m. on Sunday, with Erick Fedde set to take the mound for the Cardinals against the Twins’ Zebby Matthews.</p><p>Matthews has shown promise in limited action but make no mistake about it, the Cardinals have a decided advantage in Sunday’s pitching matchup. The Twins have a better record on the season so far but the Cardinals are far from done, judging by recent comments from Mikolas and other members of the proud National League franchise.</p><p>Whether the Cardinals come out on top or not, this season is far from over. Losing Contreras is a tough development for Oliver Marmol’s team, but St. Louis has shown they have the grit to bounce back and attain success in the most unexpected of ways at the most unexpected of times. Sunday’s game is far from a must-win, but a St. Louis victory would be a great way to stop the bleeding after a tremendously difficult personnel loss on the field this weekend.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals’ Willson Contreras to be put on injured list after suffering fracture

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-drops-fiery-truth-bomb-after-clutch-home-run');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals’ Willson Contreras drops fiery truth bomb after clutch home run');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/7580276350.jpeg"></figure><h1>Cardinals’ Willson Contreras drops fiery truth bomb after clutch home run</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-06T10:52:53-07:00">July 6th, 10:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-06T10:52:53-07:00">July 6th, 10:52am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-oliver-marmol-gets-real-miles-mikolas-rough-showing-vs-reds">The St. Louis Cardinals had an emphatic</a> win over the Washington Nationals Friday night, 7-6, as despite the team being down by five runs at one point, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-st-louis-willson-contreras-injury-braves">it was Willson Contreras who</a> hit the <a href="https://x.com/Cardinals/status/1809398845035463111" rel="noopener">home run that tied the game</a> up in the ninth inning. He spoke after the game about the emotions he experienced during that exciting event, especially coming off of a lengthy absence from an injury.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">WILLSON CONTRERAS TIES IT IN THE 9TH!!! <a href="https://t.co/DEX9Rc0Vdc">pic.twitter.com/DEX9Rc0Vdc</a></p><p>— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardinals/status/1809398845035463111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><br>Speaking about Contreras’ injury, he had missed more than six weeks with a fractured left forearm, but is now back in the lineup not as the catcher, but as the designated hitter Friday against the Nationals. As he hit the home run that sailed over the center field wall, he was hyping up his team in the dugout as he was rounding the bases, saying that St. Louis needed <a href="https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/willson-contreras-hits-game-tying-home-run-in-cardinals-win" rel="noopener" target="_blank">“that type of emotion”</a> according to John Denton of MLB.com.</p></figure><p>“Everybody here is different, but we need that type of emotion, and I’m not going to ever change,” Contreras said. “Energy like that is infectious, and it’s good for this team. I love these guys, and they love me. We’re here to grind and to win or lose together.”</p><h2><b>Contreras talks more about the key home run for the Cardinals</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Willson-Contreras-fired-up-as-he-rounds-the-bases-after-hitting-a-home-run.jpeg"><figcaption>Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The dinger was especially impressive as he hit it off of Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan who came in with a 0.53 ERA and an .056 batting average at home this season per Denton. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-oliver-marmol-locked-in-winning-braves-series">Contreras has been aching</a> for that feeling again in that high pressure of a situation as this season, he has hit now eight home runs and 17 runs batted in (RBIs) along with a .265 batting average.</p><p>“That’s what we play for and that’s what makes baseball so exciting because you never know who is going to win,” Contreras said talking about the moment he hit the home run in the ninth. “You never know when the big spot is going to come to you, but when you can hit a homer like that, it’s really exciting. I’m not going to say I was trying to hit a homer. But I was just trying to get on top of that four-seam fastball because he has a good one.”</p><h2><b>Cardinals teammate calls Contreras “electric”</b></h2><p>There is no doubt that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-tommy-edman-ankle-injury-rehabbing-wrist">Contreras being back with the Cardinals</a> has given a positive attitude to the rest of the team which was amplified after the monstrous hit. This was show cased by St. Louis slugger Nolan Gorman, who also had a solid game going two for two with two RBIs, as he called the 32-year old catcher “electric.”</p><p>“Willson’s electric, and we love when he gets fired up like that,” Gorman said after the win over the Nationals. “I think there were more Cardinals fans here than Nationals fans, so he was making sure they were yelling with him. But he’s electric, and we love that energy.”</p><p>Contreras is currently in his ninth season in the majors where the first seven were spent with the Chicago Cubs known as one of the better catchers of the sport. He was a part of the World Series team with the Cubs in 2016 which was historic as it was their first title since 1908 as he also has three All-Star appearances as most recently as 2023.</p><h2><b>Contreras talks about the mindset of St. Louis</b></h2><p>It was not just Contreras who had an emotional night as the other big <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/what-a-perfect-cardinals-trade-deadline-looks-like">storyline was about Cardinals</a> closer Ryan Helsley who blew a save in the tenth inning, ending a streak of converting 31 straight save opportunities. Still, he would redeem himself as after St. Louis regained the lead, he closed the game out and even got the win.</p><p>“I kind of laughed about it and said, ‘Well my streak is over, so I need to go out here and fight for the win for our team,’” Helsley said. “Our bullpen has been pretty taxed, and I said [to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol], ‘I feel good and I’ll take the ball if you’ll give it to me.’ He told me, ‘It’s yours,’ and thankfully it turned out good for us.”</p><p>Helsley’s performance and outing Friday night was a microcosm of how the Cardinals handled themselves in the thrilling win over the Nationals. Despite having some adversity thrown at them like being down five runs and even losing the lead late in the game, they never gave up until the game was officially over, which is how Contreras feels about his team.</p><p>“We’re not giving up until the last out is made, and that’s what we showed again tonight,” Contreras said via Denton of MLB.com. “To find a way to win this one, it was awesome for us.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-alec-burleson-reveals-matt-carpenters-blunt-2-word-message-that-saved-him">The Cardinals are now 46-41</a> on the season which puts them second in the National League Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers but it is still a tight race after with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Cubs all separated by a game. They look to continue their winning ways against Washington as the second contest in the four-game series is on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. (EST).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals’ Willson Contreras drops fiery truth bomb after clutch home run

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/cardinals-news-st-louis-willson-contreras-injury-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals make massive Willson Contreras move before Braves game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/St.-Louis-makes-massive-Willson-Contreras-move-before-Braves-game.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals make massive Willson Contreras move before Braves game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-24T13:59:10-07:00">June 24th, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-25T11:27:26-07:00">June 25th, 11:27am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals have <a href="https://x.com/Cardinals/status/1805322773130080544" rel="noopener">activated</a> catcher Willson Contreras from the injured list, the team announced Monday. The 32-year-old three-time All-Star will provide a crucial boost for a St. Louis team currently climbing the standings in the National League Central division.</p><p>St. Louis heads into Monday’s game against the Atlanta Braves with a 39-37 record. The Cardinals trail the Milwaukee Brewers by five games in the division. If the season ended today, the Cardinals would have an NL Wild Card spot.</p><p>2023 was a disaster for the team despite entering the season with high expectations. Fans were not sure what to expect in 2024 following the Cardinals’ forgettable 2023 performance. St. Louis has played better this year, however.</p><p>They are hoping to further separate themselves from the .500 mark. Contreras’ return from his arm injury will be important in that goal. The veteran catcher has appeared in only 31 games so far in 2024 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-exits-mets-game-with-painful-injury-after-getting-hit-bat">due to injury</a>. He had been on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-willson-contreras-on-verge-of-returning-from-injury">verge of returning</a> over the past few days, and the announcement was officially made on Monday.</p><p>So what does Contreras’ return mean for St. Louis?</p><h2><b>Willson Contreras’ impact on Cardinals</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Willson-Contreras-reacts-during-Mets-Cardinals-game.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Contreras is one of the best offensive catchers in baseball. He is slashing .280/.398/.551/.950 across 31 games in 2024. He has hit six home runs and 11 doubles as well.</p><p>Many catchers in today’s game struggle from an offensive standpoint. They tend to hit towards the bottom of the lineup and are defensive-focused. Contreras, though, is an offensive weapon who can hit for average and power.</p><p>He missed around six weeks of action. The Cardinals have played .500 baseball for the most part in 2024. Perhaps they will take another step forward with Willson Contreras back in the lineup.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/BallySportsMW/status/1805327102318661992" rel="noopener">He will hit third</a> and catch on Monday night against the Braves, according to Bally Sports Midwest.</p><h2><b>Nolan Arenado remains out</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cardinals-Nolan-Arenado.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>While the Cardinals received great news with Willson Contreras’ return, the same cannot be said for third baseman Nolan Arenado. Arenado is out once again on Monday as Brandon Crawford will take over duties at the hot corner.</p><p>Arenado is battling a forearm injury. The Cardinals are hopeful he can return soon, but he’s considered day-to-day for now.</p><p>2024 has not been Arenado’s best season by any means. The eight-time All-Star has slashed .257/.315/.371/.686 across 71 games played. He has also hit six home runs and 13 doubles.</p><p>At 33 years old, the Cardinals are hoping decline is not becoming a big factor in his struggles. Perhaps he will find his footing and return to form in the second half of the season. Arenado is a future Hall of Famer and he’s far too talented to continue to struggle at such an alarming rate.</p><p>If Arenado can bounce back, the Cardinals will find themselves in a good position to potentially catch the Brewers in the NL Central. For now, Arenado is focused on recovering from his current injury and returning soon.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Cardinals will attempt to defeat the Braves at home on Monday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.256	1	8	0.764	0

2024 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.256	1	8	0.764	0

Willson Contreras

Latest Willson Contreras News