The St. Louis Cardinals are continuing their efforts to climb the NL Central standings with a matchup against the San Francisco Giants. St. Louis led through the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday. Moreover, the Cardinals received another boost by getting a key injury update on Willson Contreras.
St. Louis previously placed Contreras on the 10-day injured list due to management of his forearm ailment. However, Contreras could return to the Cardinals as soon as Monday, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo said Contreras planned to catch on Saturday. In addition, Woo revealed that Riley O'Brien's forearm rehab was paused due to things not feeling right. His imaging came back clear, but the team wants to seek a second opinion.
Hopefully, Willson Contreras and O'Brien have safe and efficient injury returns. Reporters provided more insight into Contreras' ramp-up amid the good news.
“Willson Contreras will catch seven innings for Memphis tonight as he did last night and then DH tomorrow. [Oliver] Marmol said the last big box they needed to check was making sure his legs felt fine after catching back-to-back days. His return feels imminent-ish,” Belleville News' Jeff Jones reported.
It seems St. Louis and Contreras are on the same page as he gears up for his return. Through 31 games, Contreras bats a .280 average and has hit six home runs. In addition, he has accumulated 12 RBI with a .951 OPS. The Cardinals will be happy to have him back amid their division climb.
Willson Contreras is not the only contributor St. Louis received a big injury update on Saturday.
Cardinals keep pushing despite injury woes
Steven Matz has been dealing with a nagging back injury that he initially suffered during St. Louis's April 30th game against the Detroit Tigers. He was working his way back to the lineup before experiencing more soreness in late June. Unfortunately, it was reported that his woes will continue for an extended time.
Matz hit a significant setback in his rehab and will be shut down for two more weeks, per Katie Woo. The veteran Cardinals pitcher is essentially restarting his throwing program again. Woo believes St. Louis could explore the trade market to increase their pitching depth, given Matz's slow recovery.
The 33-year-old has not had the start he hoped for but is still a valuable presence. Through six games, Matz holds a 1-2 record and has thrown 17 strikeouts. In addition, he possesses a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP.
Despite St. Louis's injury woes, they have done a respectable job recovering from their slow 2024 start. Before Saturday's Giants matchup, the Cardinals had won six of their 10 games.
St. Louis came off a strong series against the Miami Marlins. The Cardinals won two of their three road matchups. They achieved the same result in their previous three-game stretch against the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are quietly gaining ground on the first-place NL Central spot, possessed by the Milwaukee Brewers.
If St. Louis keeps their foot on the gas, they will have a chance to earn a spot in the 2024 postseason.
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