Fantasy News

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Returns from injured list

  Rotowire Jun 24, 2024

  The Cardinals activated Contreras (forearm) from the 10-day injured list Monday. He'll start at catcher and bat third in the Cardinals' series opener versus Atlanta. Contreras was initially expected to miss around 10 weeks after he suffered a fractured left forearm in early May, but he'll make it back from the IL in just six and a half weeks. The Cardinals could manage Contreras' workload carefully as he settles back in with the big club, but fantasy managers should feel free to activate ahead of this week's action. Contreras posted a .950 OPS with six home runs over 31 games before getting injured.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Expected back Monday

  Rotowire Jun 24, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Monday's game versus Atlanta, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras has played six rehab games with Triple-A Memphis, catching three games and serving as the designated hitter in three others. He's gone just 3-for-21 at the plate in those contests, but the Cardinals are more concerned with how he's feeling and reports on that are favorable. Contreras was initially supposed to be out until around the All-Star break when he fractured his left forearm in early May but will beat that timetable by a few weeks.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Could be activated June 24

  Rotowire Jun 17, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) could be activated from the 10-day injured list as soon as next Monday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday and might require less than a week of rehab games before rejoining the Cardinals lineup. Woo cautions that the catcher's timeline for rejoining the big club remains tentative, and a firmer return date may not come into focus until Contreras gets a few rehab games under his belt.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Beginning rehab assignment Tuesday

  Rotowire Jun 16, 2024

  Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that Contreras (forearm) is likely to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with either Triple-A Memphis or Double-A Springfield, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Contreras reached a meaningful milestone in his recovery from surgery to repair a fractured left forearm by taking batting practice earlier in the weekend, and with the veteran backstop apparently coming out of the workout without any renewed soreness, he looks like he's ready for game action. Because he's been on the shelf since May 8, Contreras could stay on his minor-league rehab assignment throughout the week before potentially returning from the 10-day injured list before the end of June. Once Contreras is activated, he should reclaim the No. 1 catcher's role from Ivan Herrera.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Aiming for return in late June

  Rotowire Jun 15, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) is targeting a return in late June, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Contreras has resumed taking batting practice and hopes to be cleared to begin a rehab assignment early next week. If that happens, a return sometime during the Cardinals' June 22-30 homestand is likely. It would be at least a couple weeks quicker than he was initially expected back following surgery in early May to repair a fractured forearm.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: More BP, then games

  Rotowire Jun 15, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) came out of his Friday's batting practice session with no issues and will repeat the step for the next few days, John Denton of MLB.com reports. It was the first time Contreras had taken BP since he had surgery on his fractured left forearm in early May. The hope is that he will be ready for a rehab assignment after a few days of batting practice, but he will need to gain medical clearance first. Contreras is tracking toward an earlier-than-expected return, but there's no target date just yet.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Could start rehab games Tuesday

  Rotowire Jun 13, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) is hoping to begin a rehab assignment around June 18, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Contreras is just five weeks into a projected 10-week timetable following surgery to repair a fractured left forearm, but Goold writes that the catcher is "eager to push the timetable for his return." He took batting practice in the cage Thursday and has been catching bullpen sessions without issue. If Contreras is indeed able to start a rehab assignment by Tuesday, he could be just a week or so away from activation.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Taking full BP in cage

  Rotowire Jun 13, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) will take full batting practice in the indoor batting cage Thursday, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Contreras is barely more than a month removed from surgery to repair a fractured left forearm. He was given a 10-week timetable to return following the operation but would appear to be ahead of schedule, given that he's already taking batting practice. Before being activated from the injured list, Contreras will surely need to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment, but it's uncertain when he might be cleared to join one of the Cardinals' affiliates for game action.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Swinging bat

  Rotowire Jun 11, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) hit soft toss Tuesday and caught a bullpen session, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Contreras had previously been throwing, running and catching, but Tuesday marks the first time he's swung a bat since undergoing surgery May 9. The 32-year-old also caught a bullpen from Nick Robertson on Tuesday, an encouraging sign considering the fractured wrist was on his glove hand. Still, it's been just over four weeks of what's expected to be a 10-week recovery period for Contreras, which puts a timeline for return in the middle of July.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Doing field work

  Rotowire Jun 6, 2024

  Contreras (forearm) was throwing, catching and running on the field prior to Thursday's game against the Rockies, John Denton of MLB.com reports. Contreras has been participating in all three activities since the Cardinals' last stretch of road games. It's an encouraging sign that the 32-year-old backstop is recovering well from his fractured left forearm, but he still is not expected back until closer to the All-Star break. Until then, Ivan Herrera will continue to serve as St. Louis' primary catcher.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Out 10 weeks following arm surgery

  Rotowire May 9, 2024

  Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Contreras is likely to be sidelined for about 10 weeks after successful surgery Wednesday to repair a fractured left forearm, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras had offered a 6-to-8 week timetable himself earlier this week, but indications are that it will probably be a bit longer than that. It puts the catcher out likely until right around the All-Star break. Ivan Herrera will operate as the Cardinals' primary catcher while Contreras is sidelined, with Pedro Pages backing him up.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Sent to IL with forearm fracture

  Rotowire May 8, 2024

  The Cardinals placed Contreras on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Contreras fractured his left forearm when he was struck by J.D. Martinez's bat on a catcher's interference call during Tuesday's 7-5 loss. He will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the fracture and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks. Ivan Herrera will be the Cardinals' primary catcher while Contreras is out, while Pedro Pages has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take Contreras' roster spot and serve as the team's No. 2 backstop.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Set for surgery

  Rotowire May 7, 2024

  Contreras said Tuesday that he will undergo surgery on his fractured left forearm within the next several days and will miss 6-to-8 weeks, John Denton of MLB.com reports. After getting hit in the forearm by a swing during the second inning of Tuesday's game, Contreras will officially be sidelined for up to two months -- a huge blow to a Cardinals offense that already ranks near the bottom of the NL in OPS (.636) and runs (126). Ivan Herrera is now the favorite to receive the bulk of starts behind the plate while Contreras is out, and it's likely the Cardinals promote Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis to be the new backup.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Suffers arm fracture

  Rotowire May 7, 2024

  Contreras fractured his left arm during Tuesday's game against the Mets, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. Contreras had to leave Tuesday's contest in the second inning after his arm was struck by a J.D. Martinez swing. He will almost certainly spend an extended period of time on the injured list, leaving Ivan Herrera as the Cardinals' new primary catcher. Pedro Pages was pulled from his game at Triple-A Memphis shortly after Contreras went down and may be promoted to serve as Herrera's backup.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Exits with hand injury

  Rotowire May 7, 2024

  Contreras was removed from Tuesday's game against the Mets with an apparent left hand injury, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras was hit in the hand by a J.D. Martinez swing during the second inning of Tuesday's contest, and he appeared to be in a significant amount of pain before walking off the field. The 31-year-old backstop will almost certainly go in for X-rays, and the Cardinals should offer an update on his status in the near future.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Homers in loss

  Rotowire May 5, 2024

  Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and three strikeouts in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the White Sox. Contreras accounted for all the offense for St. Louis on Sunday, launching a solo shot off of Garrett Crochet in the bottom of the fourth inning. The long ball was his sixth of the year and second in the last four contests. Contreras is now batting .275 with six home runs, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and two stolen bases over 102 at-bats in 29 games in 2024.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Perfect day at dish

  Rotowire May 4, 2024

  Contreras went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and a walk in Friday's win over the White Sox. Contreras scored runs in the first and fifth innings, both coming via Nolan Arenado doubles. Since his last multi-hit game April 17, Contreras had been stuck in a 9-for-43 (.209) slump over 12 games. Despite the streakiness, he still owns a strong .281/.395/.531 slash line through 114 plate appearances.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Provides lone run in loss

  Rotowire May 2, 2024

  Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Tigers. Contreras also struck out three times Wednesday for the third consecutive game. He'll likely be happy to put the Tigers in the rear-view mirror after going 1-for-13 with nine strikeouts during the three-game series in Detroit. That poor stretch has dropped Contreras to a .258/.373/.505 slash line on the year, and he's added five homers, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, eight doubles and a stolen base through 110 plate appearances. Contreras has caught four of the Cardinals' last six games, so it appears he's managing his lingering soreness from a left hand injury fairly well.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: Pops homer Friday

  Rotowire Apr 27, 2024

  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.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Cardinals' Willson Contreras: In Wednesday's lineup

  Rotowire Apr 24, 2024

  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