St. Louis Cardinals wide receiver Willson Contreras will miss six to eight weeks with a broken arm he suffered in a freak accident due to catcher interference.
In the top of the second inning, JD Martinez was at the plate for the New York Mets when he hit an 85 mph breaking ball from Miles Mikolas.
In his swing, however, Martinez's bat hit Contreras near the wrist, and judging by Contreras' reaction, it was clear that something was seriously wrong.
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Willson Contreras, #40 of the St. Louis Cardinals, reacts after being hit by a bat during a follow-up swing by JD Martinez, #28 of the New York Mets, during the second inning at Busch Stadium on May 7, 2024. in Saint-Louis. Contreras broke his arm during the play. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Contreras rolled in pain behind the plate, but when he stood up holding his arm, he began to scream in pain.
Manager Oliver Marmol and a trainer came to see him, but it was obvious he wouldn't stay in the game.
X-rays later revealed a fracture in Contreras' left forearm.
“It was numb and I knew it wasn't right. Once I tried to make movements there were crunches in [the arm] and I knew it was bad,” he said after the match.
“So right now, I mean, I'm pretty sore, but I'm really upset about missing. I know it's going to be hard for me to watch the games and not be out there with the guys, but I'm going to do my best to stay present and support each other and encourage them because that's the best thing I can do.”
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, #40, is checked by trainer and manager Oliver Marmol, #37, after fracturing his left arm during the second inning against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
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“I touched meat,” Martinez said. “I felt like I hit meat. I didn't hit like a glove where you just point at the catcher, it just felt solid. I was like, man, I got it good hit…I felt bad.”
MLB.com notes that Contreras moved closer to the hitter behind the plate to improve his defense – while this is a good strategy for framing pitches, it ultimately comes at a pretty high cost.
“It's a huge risk, and we talked about it in the offseason and it's a topic of discussion because there was more [catcher’s interference calls], because they're graded on framing,” Marmol said. “The closer they're able to get to the hitter to get that low pitch, it's definitely a talking point. The risk is high and we have just experienced it. »
To make matters worse, Martinez got the first goal.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, #40, reacts after fracturing his left arm during the second inning against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)
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Contreras had doubled in the first inning, when St. Louis scored three runs, but the Mets ultimately won, 7-5.
He hit .280 with six home runs and 12 RBIs. The 31-year-old is in the second year of a five-year, $87.5 million contract.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.