St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is back in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday, serving as the designated hitter and batting third in the order against right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies. Contreras is still dealing with soreness in his left hand and will make his first start since being hit by a pitch last Wednesday. The 31-year-old still feels the injury slightly when he swings, so DFS gamers would probably be smart to avoid him in his first game back. Ivan Herrera is starting at catcher and is batting sixth in St. Louis' lineup. In addition to Contreras not being 100 percent just yet, he's returning to a tough matchup against Wheeler, a pitcher he's hit just .200 against with one RBI in 15 career at-bats.

The St. Louis Cardinals scratched catcher Willson Contreras (hand) from the starting lineup yet again on Monday against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Ivan Herrera is making yet another start behind the dish for the Cardinals and is hitting fifth in the order against Phillies right-hander Spencer Turnbull. Second baseman Nolan Gorman is in the three-hole. Manager Oliver Marmol feels that Contreras will be ready to catch by Tuesday. The 31-year-old backstop will sit out a fourth straight game due to a sore left hand that was injured last Wednesday when he was hit by a pitch. In the four games since Contreras has been hurt, Herrera has stepped in nicely and gone 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run and three RBI. He'll be attractive again in DFS lineups in the five-hole against Turnbull.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) remains out of action on Sunday as the club looks for the sweep of the winless Miami Marlins. Contreras was hit in the hand by a pitch on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres and hasn't played since. He was originally in Saturday's starting lineup before being scratched. The 31-year-old's injury doesn't appear to be serious, but the Cardinals don't want to bring the All-Star catcher back too soon, so they'll play it safe and hold him out again Sunday. Ivan Herrera will make another start behind the plate and bat cleanup against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer on Sunday. The young backstop has gone 6-for-16 (.375) in the early going with a homer and five RBI, and he's a nice DFS option yet again in the cleanup spot for St. Louis on Sunday. Check back on Monday to see if Contreras is active against the Philadelphia Phillies.

St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras was scratched from the lineup on Saturday. Contreras was hit by a pitch in the left hand in Wednesday's game against the Padres and was not in the lineup Thursday. Alec Burleson will take his spot as DH on Saturday and 23-year-old Ivan Herrera will be behind the plate. Contreras is considered day-to-day at this point. The 31-year-old is off to a slow start this season, going 4-for-19 over his first six games, although three of his four hits have gone for extra bases. Ivan Herrera hit his first MLB home run on Thursday and is 4-for-9 over his last two games. Burleson is 4-for-21 to begin 2024 with one extra-base hit.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander Trevor Rogers, serving as the designated hitter and batting third. Ivan Herrera will stay behind the plate and bat fifth. Contreras had some swelling in his hand after getting hit by a pitch on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, which is why he sat out the home opener on Thursday versus Miami. The 31-year-old backstop is back in there on Saturday, though, so fantasy managers in single-year leagues should return him to their starting lineups. Contreras may not be 100 percent, though, and he's off to a 4-for-19 (.211) start), although two of those four hits have cleared the fences. He has never faced Rogers in his career.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that X-rays showed no fracture in catcher Willson Contreras' left hand. The Cardinals hope Contreras will be available in some fashion on Saturday. The 31-year-old veteran backstop injured his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres, which caused him to miss the home-opening win on Thursday over the winless Marlins. With Contreras out on Thursday, Ivan Herrera got the start behind the plate and went 2-for-5 with his first major-league home run, two RBI, two runs scored and two strikeouts in the team's 8-5 win. Don't be surprised if Herrera gets another start behind the plate on Saturday, with Contreras serving as the designated hitter.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is out of the lineup for the team's home opener on Thursday against the Miami Marlins due to a hand injury that he suffered when he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres. When the swelling in Contreras' hand goes down, he will undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Ivan Herrera is catching right-hander Lance Lynn on Thursday and batting cleanup against Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. The Cardinals added catcher Pedro Pages from Triple-A Memphis when they put Matt Carpenter (oblique) on the injured list on Thursday, so there's a possibility that Contreras will be forced to the IL himself, depending on the results of the tests on his hand.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is dealing with swelling in his left hand, and it's unknown if he'll be in the lineup on Thursday for the team's home opener against the Miami Marlins, according to manager Oliver Marmol. The swelling has not gone down enough in Contreras' hand for him to undergo imaging. From the looks of things, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be in the starting lineup on Thursday. The 31-year-old backstop was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres but remained in the game. If he cannot play on Thursday, Ivan Herrera will likely take over catching duties in the home opener. Contreras has had a slow to start in 2024, going 4-for-19 (.211) but he does have two home runs and four RBI in the first six contests. Check back to see if he's available on Thursday.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is back in the starting lineup and batting fifth for Sunday's showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The veteran backstop received a day off on Saturday after going 1-for-7 to start the season. Contreras should be his consistent self for fantasy managers in 2024, offering 20+ home run power and 120+ combined runs and RBI. He remains a top-10 option at the catcher position in his second year with the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is finishing up his spring on a high note. The 31-year-old blasted his first home run of the spring during Monday's win over the Chicago Cubs. It's fitting that Contreras smacked his first homer off his former team. Contreas is slashing a lackluster .250/.300/.472 so far this spring. At this point, fantasy managers know what they will get from Contreras. The move to St. Louis doesn't seem to have boosted his offensive ability.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras drove in three runs as part of a two-hit effort on Tuesday in Grapefruit League action against the Miami Marlins. All three of the veteran's RBI came on a second-inning double that cleared the bases. He also singled to lead off the second inning in which the Cardinals scored seven runs while knocking around Marlins starter Yonny Chirinos. Contreras is now hitting .259 with a .730 OPS this spring but has yet to homer, albeit with four doubles on his resume. He hit .264 with 20 home runs and 67 RBI across 125 games last season. He carries with him a high fantasy floor, slugging at least 20 home runs in each of his last five full seasons while he also offers some speed at the catcher position with six stolen bases last season, tied for third among big-league catchers.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (wrist) was scheduled to take live batting practice at spring training on Wednesday. It's a notable development since Contreras ended last year on the sidelines due to tendinitis in his left wrist. The 31-year-old veteran backstop avoided surgery in the offseason and appears to be fully healthy as he prepares for his second year in St. Louis. His first year with the Red Birds got off to a rough start, but Contreras eventually rebounded to hit .264/.358/.467 with an .826 OPS, 20 home runs, 27 doubles, 67 RBI, a career-high six stolen bases and 55 runs scored in 125 games. It was his fourth straight season with 20-plus long balls. Even though his defensive abilities leave a lot to be desired, Contreras should once again be one of the most attractive offensive-minded catchers for fantasy managers in 2024.

The St. Louis Cardinals placed catcher Willson Contreras (wrist) on the 10-day injured list with left wrist tendinitis on Thursday, ending his season. The 31-year-old left Wednesday's game due to left wrist discomfort, and Thursday's MRI revealed the injury. Contreras put forth an awful start to his Cardinals tenure, but looked more like his All-Star self this summer by hitting .346 (63-for-182) with a 1.057 OPS in 56 games since June 25. The veteran backstop should remain one of the top 10 catchers drafted off fantasy boards next year. Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera will take St. Louis the rest of the way behind the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (wrist) left Wednesday's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers with left-wrist discomfort. Contreras had an atypical bandage on his wrist in the clubhouse before the game even started, so it has been bothering him for a while. Before he was removed from the game, Contreras went hitless in his two at-bats with a walk to drop his season average to .264. With an off day coming on Thursday, perhaps the veteran backstop will feel good enough to play on Friday for the start of a series in San Diego against the Padres. However, with the Cards officially eliminated from playoff contention, don't expect the team to be in a rush to bring him back. Andrew Knizner should draw starts behind the plate if Contreras misses any more time going into the weekend.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras will start Tuesday's contest against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on the bench. Andrew Knizner will instead catch left-hander Drew Rom and bat eighth in the order against Brewers right-hander Trevor Megill. It appears to be a normal day of rest for Contreras, so he should be back behind the dish for the Cardinals on Wednesday. Contreras got off to an ice-cold start in his first year in St. Louis, but he managed to bounce back and has had a solid overall season, slashing .265/.358/.469 with an .828 OPS, 20 home runs, 67 RBI, a career-high six steals and 55 runs scored in 124 games. He's closing out the season strong, too, going 15-for-39 (.385) with five homers, a double, 13 RBI and eight runs scored so far in 11 starts in September.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) was removed from Tuesday's game early against the Baltimore Orioles after the fifth inning due to a right-hand contusion and was replaced behind the plate by Andrew Knizner. Before leaving, Contreras went 1-for-2 with a run scored at the plate. It's unclear what caused the injury, and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day until we know more. The 31-year-old Venezuelan backstop came into Tuesday's game hitting .261 (108-for-414) with 19 home runs, 66 RBI, six stolen bases and 53 runs scored in 120 games (477 plate appearances) in his first year in St. Louis. If Contreras misses extended time, Knizner will become St. Louis' primary catcher.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras smacked a three-run homer, walked and scored two times to beat the Reds 9-4 on Friday. Contreras now has two home runs and six RBI in the last two games. The 31-year-old carries a .254 batting average, a solid .348 on-base percentage, and a slugging percentage of .451. Despite some early-season struggles, in the last 30 games, Contreras has launched seven home runs and logged 21 RBI in 103 trips to the plate.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hip) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup in his return to the lineup on Thursday against left-hander Jose Quintana and the New York Mets. Contreras will return for the first time since leaving Monday's game early with hip tightness. Fantasy managers will want to get the 31-year-old backstop back into their starting lineups on Thursday. After a slow start in his first year in St. Louis, Contreras has picked things up offensively and has gone 22-for-62 (.355) with three home runs, four doubles, 13 RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored in 21 games (19 starts) since the All-Star break. He's hitless in nine at-bats with one RBI against Quintana in his career.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hip) remains out of the starting lineup as the team takes on the visiting Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Andrew Knizner will get another start behind the dish and will bat seventh against A's right-hander Paul Blackburn. Contreras is dealing with a tight right hip this week and will miss his second straight game. As long as the 31-year-old backstop is able to return at some point this weekend for a four-game set against the New York Mets, he should avoid a trip to the 10-day injured list. Contreras got off to a rough start early in his first year in St. Louis, but he's been much better in the second half, hitting .355 (22-for-62) with three homers, four doubles, 13 RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored in 21 games (19 starts) since the All-Star break.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hip) is not playing on Tuesday against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Contreras will take a seat after leaving Monday's game early in the series opener against Oakland with right-hip tightness. The 31-year-old backstop should be considered day-to-day for now. Andrew Knizner will make another start behind the dish on Tuesday and will hit seventh in the batting order against A's right-hander Spenser Watkins. Check back to see if Contreras is back in the lineup on Wednesday. After a slow start in his first year in St. Louis, Contreras has rebounded and is now batting .261/.357/.446 with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, six stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 341 at-bats. Contreras remains relevant as a starter in single-catcher leagues.