Willson Contreras Injury Scare as Cardinals Keep Fighting in NL Wild Card Race
The St. Louis Cardinals are still swinging for October, entering Tuesday night’s matchup against the Colorado Rockies with a 61–59 record and just three games separating them from the New York Mets for that final NL Wild Card spot. And leading the charge? None other than Willson Contreras — the heart, soul, and bat keeping the Redbirds alive… Who is now injured.
I mean, how many catchers can steal home?
Contreras, now in his third season with St. Louis after jumping over from the rival Cubs in 2023, has been nothing short of a sparkplug. With Paul Goldschmidt now wearing Yankees pinstripes, the 33-year-old made the move from catcher to first base, a switch that’s kept his bat in the lineup nearly every day. The results? A rock-solid .256 batting average, a .787 OPS, 16 home runs, and 65 RBIs in 113 games.
Gut Punch leads to Foot Injury
But Cardinals fans got a gut-punch moment in the sixth inning Tuesday. Facing Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, Contreras took a heater right off the foot — and that was it for his night. Nolan Gorman trotted in to cover first base, and the official word came moments later: bruised right foot. Ouch.
Contreras has been HBP 18 times this season and is getting pretty sick of it. From the benches clearing after the Cardinals pitchers got some retaliation against the Padres for hitting Willson, to this hilarious game where he went and grabbed the ball that plunked him and hand delivered it to the pitcher that threw it.
Timing couldn’t be worse. Brendan Donovan just returned from missing three games, Nolan Arenado is still nursing a shoulder strain, and Contreras has been the steady force holding the offense together. Without him, the Cards’ playoff hopes take a serious hit.
Since putting on the birds on the bat, Contreras has been as good as advertised — if not better. Over three seasons in St. Louis, he’s batting .261 with an .818 OPS, 51 home runs, and 168 RBIs. And for the record? Despite his name swirling in trade rumors just days ago, Contreras has made it clear he’s here to stay.
The message is simple: if the Cardinals want to keep clawing back in the NL Wild Card race, they’ll need their injured first baseman and clubhouse leader healthy and in the heart of the order. Willson Contreras has been their engine in 2025 — and the ride gets a lot rougher without him.
