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Cardinals supervisor Oli Marmol offered a litany of harm updates yesterday to reporters, together with Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Amongst these was an replace on catcher Willson Contreras, who took a 103 mph sinker from Cardinals flamethrower Jordan Hicks off his knee within the season’s opener on Thursday and needed to be helped off the sphere. Each x-rays and an MRI got here again detrimental, and Contreras mentioned he might return to the lineup as quickly as in the present day after briefly catching warm-up pitches for Jack Flaherty between innings on Saturday.
Contreras, 31 in Might, was the Cardinals’ greatest addition of the offseason on a five-year, $87.5MM deal. Previous to signing with St. Louis, Contreras was the on a regular basis catcher for the division rival Cubs since his debut through the 2016 season, posting a 118 wRC+ in seven seasons and racking up three All Star appearances. A type of All Star picks got here through the 2022 marketing campaign, which was the very best of Contreras’s profession: in 113 video games, Contreras posted a profession low 21.1% strikeout price and profession highs in each wRC+ and fWAR regardless of a career-low BABIP of simply .270.
In signing Contreras, the Cardinals seem to have discovered their alternative not solely to Yadier Molina behind the plate, but in addition to the thump Albert Pujols offered their lineup in 2022. Given his significance to the membership, it’s certainly a reduction for St. Louis that Contreras’s leg harm is just not significantly critical. Andrew Knizner began behind the plate in Saturday’s recreation, with Taylor Motter and Brendan Donovan among the many potential choices to catch on an emergency foundation whereas Contreras was unavailable.
Extra from St. Louis…
- Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar additionally suffered an harm through the season opener on Thursday, having injured his thumb on a slide into third base. Nootbaar, who was out of the lineup yesterday and hopes to play catch in the present day, is taken into account day-to-day. The 25 year-old outfielder was a revelation for the Cardinals final yr, slashing .228/.340/.448 in 108 video games with a 20.5% strikeout price and an outstanding 14.5% stroll price. Whereas Nootbaar is unavailable, Dylan Carlson figures to take the newly-available begins within the outfield alongside Jordan Walker and Tyler O’Neill.
- Reliever Giovanny Gallegos has but to make his season debut after affected by again tightness forward of season opener on Thursday. Marmol expressed optimism about Gallegos, nonetheless, noting that his MRI got here again clear and that, in a greatest case state of affairs, Gallegos could possibly be obtainable out of the bullpen as quickly as in the present day. Gallegos has been among the many most dependable relievers within the recreation since he was acquired by the Cardinals in 2018, posting similar ERA and FIP figures of two.82 in 229 2/3 innings of labor whereas racking up 33 saves.
- Beginning pitcher Adam Wainwright nonetheless seems a methods away from coming back from the injured checklist to make his season debut, as he progressed to enjoying catch off flat floor yesterday. On the shelf with a groin harm suffered within the weight room whereas with Group USA through the World Baseball Basic, the 41 year-old Wainwright is about to retire at season’s finish. Wainwright has seen a late-career resurgence lately, posting a 3.34 ERA and three.72 FIP in 463 2/3 innings because the begin of the 2020 season. Till Wainwright is prepared for his season debut, right-hander Jake Woodford is about to take his flip within the rotation.
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