St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand/wrist) will sit out the final game of his team's three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. This is an expected absence after Contreras was hit by a pitch on Tuesday night. Thankfully for him and the team X-rays on the injury came back clean. The Cardinals have an off day on Thursday before a crucial three-game series at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, so the hope is surely that Contreras can return at some point this weekend. Alec Burleson is starting at first base in his place in Wednesday's contest against Pittsburgh.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (hand) underwent X-rays, and the team has diagnosed him with bruising. The X-rays did not show any fracture. He is being called "day-to-day," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Contreras got hit in the hand by a Paul Skenes fastball in the fourth inning of Tuesday's contest and left the game. The good news is that there appears to be no structural damage, and the plan is to rest and allow the bruising to subside before returning to action. The Cardinals wrap up their three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday with an off day on Thursday before a weekend series against the division-rival Chicago Cubs. Garrett Hampson entered the game at first base in Contreras' absence.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (hand) said he is doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras exited Tuesday's 1-0 loss after taking a 99.3 mph fastball from Pirates ace Paul Skenes off the left hand in the fourth inning. X-rays came back negative, but it'll take Contreras at least another couple of days to return. The Cardinals are off on Thursday, but Contreras could be back in the lineup Friday against the Chicago Cubs.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (hand) exited the team's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday after taking a Paul Skenes fastball off the left hand in the fourth inning. X-rays came back negative on Contreras, who's "day-to-day," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals replaced him at first base with Alec Burleson and brought Garrett Hampson in to play right field. Contreras has been hit a league-high 13 times this year, and he missed the end of August and all of September last season after suffering a fractured finger on an HBP. While Contreras avoided a major injury in this instance, it's possible he could miss some time. Contreras has recovered from a slow start to the season to slash a respectable .248/.340/.432 with 11 homers, 51 RBI, 42 runs scored, and four stolen bases over 348 plate appearances.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras put together a nice day at the plate during the first game of the doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Contreras would kick off the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the opening frame. He was fairly quiet for the rest of the game until blasting a two-run home run in the eighth inning. That two-run blast would tie the game as the Cardinals would eventually win this game 5-4. Contreras went 1-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk in the win. The veteran catcher has really picked up his play over the last few weeks.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras clutched up in the bottom of the 10th inning on Thursday, delivering an RBI single that gave the Cards a 6-5 win in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Contreras also doubled, walked, and scored a run to round out a nice game at the plate. It hasn't been a great season for the veteran backstop, but he has held his own. The 33-year-old now holds a .250 average and .719 OPS to go with 28 runs, six homers, and 36 RBI. Contreras remains a must-start player in fantasy, even with the mediocre stat line since he holds catcher eligibility.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (back) is returning to the team's lineup on Monday for their road matchup with the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran had missed the last three contests with back spasms, but he'll return for their series opener with the Orioles and bat fourth. Before the slight hiccup, Contreras had been rolling in May, boasting a .299 average (20-for-67), with 11 runs scored, 16 RBI, three home runs, four doubles, and a 7:17 BB:K ratio. The 33-year-old has really turned it around after a dismal start, and holds a strong .272 xBA, so his batting line should continue to climb as we head into the summer months.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (back) remains out of the starting nine on Sunday when they conclude a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Contreras was scratched from the starting nine on Friday evening due to back spasms. Before his injury, Contreras held a solid .256/.286/.410 slash line with three doubles, one home run, and an 11:1 K:BB over his last 10 contests. This afternoon, Alec Burleson will get the nod at first base and is slated to bat in the five-hole. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to their next contest on Monday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles. Through his first 49 games this season, Contreras has held a .250/.332/.397 line. This afternoon, Burleson is a viable target in DFS facing Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (back) will remain out of action for Saturday's contest at Busch Stadium against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Alec Burleson will make another start at first base and will hit fifth against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly. Contreras was scratched from the series opener against Arizona on Friday due to back spasms, and he's obviously not feeling good enough to return the following day. It's something to keep an eye on with the 33-year-old former catcher, but for now, he's being considered day-to-day. Check back to see if he's available for the series opener on Sunday. Burleson has swung the bat well all year and is hitting .333 (15-for-45) with four home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI, a steal and five runs scored in 16 games in May. He'll be looking for his first knock against Kelly, as he's gone 0-for-3 against him so far in his career.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (back) has been scratched from Friday's series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium due to back spasms, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold. Alec Burleson will replace Contreras as first base and will bat fifth against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen. Brendan Donovan will play left field and bat third for the Red Birds, while Nolan Gorman will start at the keystone and hit in the seven-hole. Fantasy managers will be crossing their fingers that the 33-year-old Contreras won't miss too much time while hitting a strong .299/.385/.493 with three long balls and 16 runs driven in over 78 trips to the plate in May. Burleson is hitless in three career at-bats against Gallen, and although he only has three homers in 2025, he's not a terrible low-cost DFS play on Friday night against Gallen in the five-hole.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras had a big game in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer to help power the Cardinals to the victory. The veteran is off to a solid start in 2025, hitting .252 with five homers, 15 runs, 19 RBI, and two steals across 135 at-bats. He is currently enjoying a hot streak as he's hitting .417 with three homers and 10 RBI over his past seven games. Fantasy gamers should lock Contreras into their lineups while he's seeing the ball well at the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI in the second game of his team's doubleheader sweep in Cincinnati. Contreras connected on his three-run blast in the first inning against rookie Chase Petty. The Cardinals won the first game of the twin bill 6-0 and cruised to a 9-1 win after Contreras' shot set the tone for Game 2. On the season, Contreras is hitting .222 with three home runs and a .288 wOBA. He has reached base safely in 13 straight games and is quickly putting his rough start to the season in his rearview mirror and becoming the solid, proven bat he was drafted to be coming into the season. If someone bailed early and he's on waivers, he's a great pickup and is a good bat with lingering catcher eligibility in most formats.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras hit his first home run of the 2025 season against the Philadelphia Phillies' ace, Zack Wheeler. The home run was a two-run shot in the fourth inning that opened up the scoring for the Cardinals and gave them a 2-0 lead. The Cardinals never looked back and walked away with the 7-0 win against the Phillies (9-6). On the afternoon, Contreras went 2-for-4 with the home run and a double. He is off to a slow start to begin his 2025 campaign, with a poor slash line of .158/.213/.263; however, Contreras is a career .256 hitter at the Major League level, so fantasy managers can expect him to pick it up as the season progresses. Up next for the Cardinals is a three-game series against the Houston Astros at home. Contreras will look to keep the hot bat going in that series.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is not in the starting nine on Friday when they begin a series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Contreras has had a slow start to the campaign and will be given the night off. Instead, Alec Burleson will cover first base and bat in the five-hole. Through the first 12 games of the campaign, Contreras has held an underwhelming .102/.170/.143 slash line with two doubles. However, he has tallied three hits over his last four games and has begun to slowly turn the corner. Fantasy managers should expect the 32-year-old to return to the starting nine on Saturday. He remains a must-start option despite his slump as he held a strong .262/.380/.468 line last summer. Burleson is worth a look in DFS facing Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras is 5-for-49 with 22 strikeouts to begin the season, but manager Oliver Marmol has elected to keep him at the top of the lineup in the early going, usually in the two-hole. The Athletic's Katie Woo writes that Marmol is weighing the possibility of moving Contreras down, though, given his slow start. The skipper prefers to switch between left-handed and right-handed hitters as much as possible in the lineup to make it difficult for opposing managers to game plan. Nolan Arenado is planted in the cleanup spot, and there are no other right-handed batters the Cardinals can use at the top of the order to break up lefties Lars Nootbaar and Brendan Donovan. When catcher Ivan Herrera (knee) returns, he could be an option at No. 2. But until then, the Cardinals and fantasy managers are hoping Contreras can turn things around quickly at the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras is out of the lineup on Tuesday for the first time this year against the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Busch Stadium. Catcher Ivan Herrera will also start on the bench, with Pedro Pages doing the catching for left-hander Matthew Liberatore and batting seventh against Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks. It's a good time for Contreras to get off his feet for the first time this year, as the 32-year-old Venezuelan backstop is hitless with eight strikeouts in 19 plate appearances over his first four games in 2024. Alec Burleson is starting at first for the Cards and is batting second on Tuesday. Burleson will be the more popular DFS play for this matchup against the soft-tossing Hendricks, as Burleson has hit .429 with a 1.071 OPS in a small sample size of seven career at-bats against Hendricks.

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stated Wednesday that catcher Willson Contreras will be transitioned to a first base/designated hitter role in 2025. The hope is that the move will keep the 32-year-old healthy and allow him to extend the life of his career. The veteran backstop had a solid season for the time he was on the field in 2024, posting a .262-15-36-48-4 line with a .370 wOBA and 140 wRC+, but played in just 84 games due to varying injuries. He's expected to be ready to go for 2025, and the added positional flexibility should give him some additional value in fantasy leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (finger) will need two more weeks of rest before beginning baseball activities. That being said, the right-handed slugger won't be returning to the Cards lineup before the end of the regular season. It has been an injury riddled year for Contreras who only managed to play in 84 games. Luckily, the veteran catcher should be healed up and ready to go in time for spring training. Contreras finishes the season with a .263 batting average with 15 home runs and 36 RBI. The assumption is that Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera will split up the catching duties for the rest of the season. Herrera is the better fantasy option between the two with a .280 batting average and 22 RBI in 65 games this season.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (finger), who is currently sidelined with a broken left middle finger, will be re-evaluated on Monday, and the Cardinals will then plan his path to a return, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Contreras didn't need surgery on his finger and has been out of a splint for the past week and is eager to return before the end of the 2024 season. The 32-year-old veteran backstop has been out since Aug. 24, and if he does manage to make it back before the end of September, it might only be for a handful of games, so fantasy managers shouldn't be counting on him at all the rest of the way. In the meantime, rookie Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera will continue to split playing time behind the plate. Contreras was well on his way to a fourth straight 20-plus-homer season in 2024 before suffering the second serious injury of the campaign.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (finger) will not need surgery on his broken finger, according to manager Oliver Marmol. However, Contreras will be no impact for three weeks. The Cardinals have five weeks left in the regular season. The door is open for a return, but Contreras has no room for a setback along the way. The 32-year-old veteran backstop suffered a fractured right middle finger over the weekend when he was hit by a pitch and has already been placed on the injured list. Even if he does make it back at the tail end of the season, he's not going to have much time left to provide meaningful numbers for fantasy managers. Pedro Pages will now operate as St. Louis' primary catcher, with Ivan Herrera backing him up. It's a huge loss for the Cardinals as they battle for the final wild-card spot in the National League.