Inside The Cardinals

Mets J.D. Martinez Breaks Cardinals Star's Forearm In Freak Incident

St. Louis took a huge hit on Tuesday night

Scott Neville

May 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) is
May 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (40) is / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The St. Louis Cardinals took a significant hit they could not afford during Tuesday’s 7-5 loss to the New York Mets.

The now 15-21 Cardinals already have fallen 3 ½ games back in the Wild Card race and will have to go roughly two months without their most productive player this season due to a freak injury.

Willson Contreras broke his forearm extending his arm behind the plate to frame a pitch -- unfortunately, Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez’s bat made contact with the glove prior to the ball, hitting the backstop clean.

The fractured left forearm will take Contreras out of action for six-to-eight weeks, he told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale after the game. 

Contreras is hitting .280 with 17 extra-base hits including six home runs, 12 RBIs and a team-leading .949 OPS in 31 games this season. The Cardinals have scored 126 runs this season, the third-fewest in Major League Baseball. Take out Contreras' production and they are challenging the Chicago White Sox for the worst offense in the league.

Iván Herrera will be taking the bulk of the catching duties with Contreras sidelined. He’s hitting .232 with four extra-base hits including 11 RBIs and a .653 OPS in 24 games in his first full campaign in St. Louis.

Fellow rookie Pedro Pagés will likely be inserted into the mix as well, who has just four plate appearances in the big leagues.

The Cardinals were reeling out of the gate and could not afford to lose Contreras’ bat or glove. Now they’ll have to find a way to spark their offense without their most effective bat in the lineup. St. Louis will also have to navigate two rookies calling pitches, though this scenario is where a veteran-laden staff comes in handy.

More MLB: Pair Of Ex-Cardinals Shining With New Teams After Departing From St. Louis

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Scott Neville

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the St. Louis Cardinals for FanNation's "Inside The Cardinals" on Sports Illustrated. Before starting "Inside The Cardinals", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox."  After a few months as the top Major League Baseball site in the program, Neville sought expansion and pitched "Inside The Cardinals," one of the newest additions to FanNation and the Sports Illustrated Media Group. The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Cardinals" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu