Cardinals All-Star Slugger Reportedly Out For Rest Of Season After Latest Evaluation

St. Louis will have to finish the season without the fan favorite

Aug 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Alec Burleson (middle) and designated hitter catcher Willson Contreras (40) greet first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (46) crossing home plate to scoring a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals made their best efforts but fell short of making the 2024 postseason and they need to start looking ahead to 2025.

However, before the Cardinals can start planning for next year, they must first get through the final 13 games of the season. Unfortunately, they'll have to do it without the heart and soul of the lineup.

"Willson Contreras (fractured middle finger) underwent medical evaluations today and they determined that he needs two more weeks of healing before resuming baseball drills, manager Oli Marmol said," MLB.com's John Denton reported Monday. "That effectively ends the catcher’s season, Marmol said."

Contreras batted .262 with 32 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .848 OPS in 84 games played for the Cardinals this season.

The 32-year-old was St. Louis' best hitter before enduring his first injury of the season in May when he suffered a broken left forearm after being stuck by New York Mets' J.D. Martinez's swing while playing catcher.

After making a speedy recovery and return to the lineup, Contreras took right where he left off and continued to be one of the Cardinals' most consistent and powerful hitters.

Losing Conteras for the second time due to his fractured middle finger felt like the nail in the coffin for the Cardinals' season. The team likely would've missed the playoffs even if he hadn't gotten injured but not having him in the lineup increased the club's chances of missing out.

With the Cardinals already mathematically eliminated, having Contreras return wouldn't have made sense. Hopefully, we'll see more of the three-time All-Star in 2025.

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